Family Story Initiative
Interview . Record . Transcribe . Summarize . Preserve
The Evergreen Family Story Project is an inspiring initiative designed to preserve the cultural heritage and personal histories of families, passed down through generations. By involving students and young adults in the family in documenting the stories of their elders, the project fosters meaningful inter-generational connections, allowing for the exchange of life experiences, wisdom, and traditions. Through personal interviews, narrative creation, and multimedia storytelling, we aim to build an expandable family history archive.
Guiding Principle
Interviewees Is The Owners of Their Stories
The Evergreen Family Story Project ensures the interviewees retain control over their narratives. These interviews and other family records reflect the perspectives of the interviewee and their family. While the interview files are archived by EEF, the family—particularly the interviewee—retains control over who, aside from EEF staff, can access the files and under what circumstances.
Initiative Goals
To Discover Our Roots and Build Connections with Family Elders
Engages in uncovering our family history and fostering meaningful relationships with our elders. Through this process, we can preserve their stories, wisdom, and experiences for future generations.
To Empower Students and Young Adults as Interviewers
Enhances students and young adults skills and knowledge as interviewers. When students take on the role of interviewers, they gain valuable skills such as conducting interviews, identifying key themes, and writing concise summaries. Additionally, they learn to appreciate the educational differences between their own experiences and those of the interviewees, fostering a deeper understanding of generational perspectives.
To Understand Through the Lens of Family History
Enables interviewers to empathize with the unique challenges and triumphs of their family elders. By listening to their stories, we can better understand the struggles they faced in coming to and living in the United States, as seen through the lens of individual family experiences.
To Preserve the Voices Across Generations
Creates a lasting legacy by recording the voices of our ancestors who lived through pivotal moments in history. These recordings will allow future generations to hear firsthand accounts of the events that shaped our family’s journey.
To Contribute to the History of the Chinese Diaspora in the US
Adds to the collective narrative of the Chinese Diaspora in the United States by sharing the unique perspectives of individual families{semicolon here? rather than comma} these personal stories will enrich the broader historical record and highlight the diverse experiences of Chinese Americans.