I first heard of the StoryCorps app from a TED Talk that I watched by the creator of the StoryCorps movement. Dave Isay setup the first StoryCorps booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2003 and has since expanded his booths to other cities including Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City as well as mobile studios nationwide.The point of StoryCorps and the quote from Dave is, “Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear!”
In 2015, Dave won the TED Prize Wish and his wish came true to create a mobile app that would allow anyone to interview those around them. Not only does this app allow you to interview people around you, but it provides you with sample questions, suggestions on how to conduct your interviews and also the ability to upload your interviews to the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center.I know pretty cool right?!? Guess how much this app costs? Guess how much it costs to upload your finished interview to the Library of Congress where it will be saved for all of humanity?!?Absolutely nothing!That’s right, not only did they come out with this app, but they provide it for free of charge to anyone that wishes to document the stories of those around them.
In my opinion, this makes StoryCorps the best app and service available to record, save and pass down the wisdom that comes from our older family members. We can then pass this wisdom down to younger family members and even through multiple generations of family members!The interviews can be simple or extremely detailed depending on the questions you choose. You can also write your own questions if you wish! Some of the questions at the time of this post range from simple ones such as, “What was your childhood like?” to more difficult questions such as, “What does God mean to you?” As I said, not only can you choose from the premade questions, but you can write any of your own questions which is what makes this app absolutely killer!If you need it to, the app will hold your hand and guide you through the process. Once you get the hang of it, it provides you with more advanced tools allowing you to dig deeper and really nail those one of a kind interviews. This is what makes the app great and it’s what makes it useful. It works well for both beginner interviewers as well as seasoned ones.
Now of course, you can use this app to interview anyone you wish, but I really feel the true power of this app is realized when it’s used to interview those that are close to you. More specifically, interviewing older family members like your parents, grandparents or even your great grandparents if they’re still alive!So far, I have interviewed two of my grandparents with this app and I must say that it is probably the most I’ve ever learned from either one of them and I must also admit that it’s probably one of the most powerful talks I’ve had with either of my grandparents. I’m also glad that at any time I’m able to open the interviews and listen to them as much as I want.The advice shared by both of my grandparents was life changing and I can’t wait until I’m able to interview my other two grandparents!If you’ve always wanted to learn more about your family history and heritage then I definitely recommend heading over to the StoryCorps website and downloading the app today!Note: I have received no compensation for this post. It is completely of my own opinion and I really think it’s that awesome and that you should check it out! Much love! Enjoy!Namaste!
