Serve 2.0 Opportunity: National Day of Listening

[Ellen Peltz]

Remember how excited we all get about utilizing Serve 2.0 resources? Do you feel that self-affirming glow of technical savviness every time you post something to the Bonner Facebook page, upload a video to the Bonner YouTube channel, or tweet some Bonner-related info out to the world? Well, get ready to turn that warm, fuzzing feeling into the electrifying thrill of a lifetime. Get ready to go audio.

Ever heard of Story Corps? According to their website, they're "an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening." The "About Us" section of the website goes on to say this:

"The heart of StoryCorps is the conversation between two people who are important to each other: a son asking his mother about her childhood, an immigrant telling his friend about coming to America, or a couple reminiscing on their 50th wedding anniversary. By helping people to connect, and to talk about the questions that matter, the StoryCorps experience is powerful and sometimes even life-changing. Our goal is to make that experience accessible to all, and find new ways to inspire people to record and preserve the stories of someone important to them. Everybody’s story matters and every life counts."

Pretty cool, isn't it?

Personally, I think it's way more than cool. Capturing people's stories is a passion of mine, and something I think fits perfectly with the Bonner Foundation's emphasis on what's going on underneath the issues. What better way to begin to try to understand homelessness or hunger, social injustice or the cycle of poverty, than to try and see it through the eyes of those who are experiencing it? And what better way to do that than through narrative?

That's why I'm incredibly excited about the day after Thanksgiving. Not because I have the day off (although I'm not complaining) or because I'll be living off of so many leftovers that I won't have to cook for weeks. Nope, it's because November 27th marks the 2nd Annual National Day of Listening, a joint initiative by The Corporation for National and Community Service and Story Corps. The National Day of Listening is simply this: a day devoted to sharing and preserving stories. Mmmm, it feels good just to type it.

You are invited to participate in the National Day of Listening by interviewing the every-day service heroes who live and work near you—from volunteer firefighters to youth mentors to veterans returning from active duty.

According to Corporation for National and Community Service, "these stories will help illustrate how volunteering can answer national challenges and trumpet the extraordinary acts of service that make a difference in the lives of so many Americans." And shoot, how much closer to Bonner's heart can we get?

For more information about this too-cool-to-miss opportunity, check out Story Corps' Do-It-Yourself instructions on conducting, recording, and preserving your own interviews: http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/ It's really not as hard as you might think, and this website gives great tips about questions to ask, the technicalities of audio interviews, and recording devices you can use (cell phones, computers, hand-held recorders. etc.).

I know what I'll be doing on November 27th. Do you? (And don't say eating leftover turkey. Come on, guys. I'm practically handing it to you here.)

[Eric Peltz]

This is an awesome idea! Narrative is the force by which we experience humanity head on; we have no choice but to care deeply about those who share their lives in word and act. Great post, Ellen!