Photo Karen Graham.
Pictured are participants in the first of many workshops hosted by the Cavan Monaghan Libraries to support seniors as they develop personal memoirs. Beth Deleff, pictured third from the right, joined the group last week as as memoir-writing workshop leader. This drop-in program runs every week until March. Most of the sessions are informal however the four November sessions will feature an Expressive Art Therapist who will guide participants in developing an art project.
Residents of the Township of Cavan Monaghan and the surrounding area are invited to the Cavan Monaghan Libraries every Wednesday (Millbrook Branch) and Thursday (Bruce Johnston Branch) from 1-3pm to participate in the CM Libraries new project called “Collecting our stories” made possible through funding from the Ontario Government’s Senior Community Grant Program.
Over the next 7 months, community members are encouraged to take part in a series of meet-ups and memoir-writing workshops which will provide some guidance and assistance to capture family stories. Staff and volunteers will provide conversation prompts to help with the weekly story-telling/story-writing. The project will officially conclude in March 2024 with the publishing of a book containing the stories written or told by the participants. Copies of the book will be provided to contributors and participants to share with their families.
This project is meant to benefit the community by giving the participants a sense of belonging: everyone’s story is important, everyone is welcome. This project will become an archive of information provided by those who are here now – protecting memories for future residents and generations.
The main focus of this grant is memoir-writing although any kind of story-telling will be encouraged. Those who can type or write will be guided to record their own stories, while others who need help can have a volunteer transcribe their stories for them. Voice/video recording equipment will also be available and voice to text software will be used to convert stories to a written format. During the weekly “Tech Times” hosted at the Millbrook Branch on Fridays and the Bruce Johnston Branch on Thursdays, participants in the “Collecting our stories” project can learn computer skills such as word processing. Staff will also offer one-to-one training for Ancestry to assist with family research as well as the other e-resources the CM Libraries subscribes to.
As an extension of the “Collecting our stories” project, the CM Libraries is offering a unique opportunity for the community. On Wednesdays in November, Care Archbold, an Expressive Art Therapist, will lead participants in drawing a map of where they grew up, or an important place in their lives. The images will then be photocopied on high quality art paper so that the participants can work on multiple versions. The images will then be added to, using paint, pastel, collage, or words through a guided process to explore the memories. At the end of the sessions, the participants will have a collection of images that will form a visual memoir.
The CM Libraries has taken on this project based on results of surveys indicating that memoir-writing is of interest to residents in this area. As a tenet of the grant, the social gatherings with this project will help older adults avoid isolation and to stay connected to their community. For those unable to travel to the library branches, volunteers will be making visits to older adults in their homes to record their stories.
While this project is mainly geared towards the 55+ community because of the funding source, options for intergenerational involvement will available – including volunteer opportunities for all ages.
By Karla Buckborough, CEO/Librarian, CM Libraries
More details can be found on our webpage at: cavanmonaghanlibraries.ca/collectingourstories
