Page 48 - Emag_AugSept2019

Everyone’s Story Matters

by Mary Carole Strother

veryone has a story to tell. Your stories and the stories of the Questions for Veterans
people around you are unique, valuable treasures for your What do you remember about the day you enlisted?
Efamily and your community. However, our busy schedules
keep us moving from one meeting to the next and our calendars are How did you tell your family that you were joining the military?
jam packed with events and activities. We seldom allow ourselves What was basic training like? Funny moments from boot camp?
the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations or take the
time to ask questions and discover the value of listening. Where did you serve?
A friend recently told me about an interview that her grandson did Is there someone you served with that you remember fondly?
for a school project. He used an app that is available on an iPad What lessons did your time in military teach you?
or smart phone called StoryCorps. The app provides people across The hardest part about this whole process is starting. We can find a
the country with the opportunity to record and preserve the stories million excuses. Your interview doesn’t have to be perfect. Here are
of their lives. Her grandson had a series of questions that he asked a few tips.
to find out more about her early life and what it was like growing
up. He then used his iPhone to record the interview. After it was Interviewing Tips
completed he uploaded the interview through the StoryCorps app • Find a quiet place away from distractions.
and it is stored in an archive at the American Folklife Center at the
Library of Congress. • Review the list of questions you are going to ask with the
person before you start.
The StoryCorps app was developed after winning the 2015 TED
Prize in which the organizationwas awarded a million dollars. • Find a quiet place to record.
StoryCorps actually began in a small soundproof booth in New • Listen closely.
York’s Grand Central Station on October 23, 2003.The goal of the • Don’t interrupt, allow the person you are interviewing time to
project was to give people the think and reflect.
chance to record meaningful conversations about their lives and pass
wisdom from one generation to the next. Since that day over a half The greatest gift you can give a person is the gift of TIME. Take
a million people have recorded conversations and the project is the time this month to listen to the stories of the ones you love. Don’t
largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. Segments forget to record or write them down. These stories will become your
of recorded interviews appear on NPR’s Morning Edition. Excerpts valued treasures.
from some of the interviews have been animated and appear on PBS
and are featured on the StoryCorps YouTube channel. The animated
videos are about 3:30 in length and many of the videos have over
a million views. Some of the video categories include: Stories of
Service Member and Military Families, Stories of Libraries and
Learning, Stories of Hope and Renewal, and In Their Footsteps.
Through the MobileBooth Tour, StoryCorps visits cities and
towns across the country to record the stories of the people who
live there. The MobileBooth Tour partners with local public radio
stations, cultural institutions and community-based organizations to
get the word out and invite participants to bring someone to the
StoryCorps MobileBooth. October 15 through November 13, 2019
the MobileBooth will partner with KERA and visit Dallas. Don’t
miss the opportunity to visit and share your stories.
While the StoryCorps app and Mobile Booth are great, you don’t
have to wait for them to beable to record and share your stories. You
can begin today. Almost everyone has some type of smart device
that will allow you to record audio or shoot video. All you need is a
list of questions that will help you with your storytelling. When you
are interviewing you can begin with these simple questions:
Questions for Parents and Grandparents
Tell me about what were you like as a kid?
Where did you grow up?
What do you remember about your early childhood?
Can you describe your happiest memory?
What is the biggest change you have seen in your lifetime?

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