The People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO) officially launched on Wednesday with stories told by everyday people in video, audio, photographic or text formats.
As explained here
“People have different ways of sharing their stories. We want to be an archive that genuinely provides a space for people’s stories, and so we have to be open to the different media people use to tell their own stories in the way they think those stories should be told and presented, in the medium that suits them and their stories.”
Organizers expect the archive to become an educational resource for students from elementary to post-secondary, and for anyone interested in studying rural Ontario, including policymakers and academics.
A team of U of G graduate research assistants is now collecting stories from rural storytellers across Ontario. They hope people will contact the group to share their stories.
“There is great importance to documenting stories in people’s own words,” said Wittmer. “Being featured in a space where their voices are seen, heard and appreciated by broader audiences has great value. People have been very excited about presenting their stories and sharing them with their families, friends and communities.”
The site has a search capability so it’s easy to see if there’s anything of significance for your family history.
Thank you for sharing this. It is an amazing site! I love reading these local stories. I found the search a little awkward though as it returns ‘like’ words, not an exact match, but it’s still doable.