The Importance of Preserving Legacy: StoryCorps Wins 2015 TED Prize

The Importance of Preserving Legacy: StoryCorps Wins 2015 TED Prize

Part of what we do here at PhotoWings is try to spread the word about the importance of connecting with one another in meaningful ways, the power of learning from history, and how both can be facilitated by photography, as seen in the Dublin City University Intergenerational Learning Project. 

It then comes as no surprise we were incredibly happy to hear the 2015 TED Prize was received by StoryCorps, an organization which "celebrates the dignity, power, and grace that can be heard in the stories we find all around us." Begun in 2003, StoryCorps has developed "the largest single collection of human voices ever recorded" using a format which provides "two friends or loved ones with a quiet space and 40 minutes of uninterrupted time for a meaningful face-to-face conversation" often focusing on "the stories of people most often excluded from the historical record."

The TED Prize StoryCorps received is specifically being used to further expand and democratize their process, helping to fund a new StoryCorps smartphone app which allows people around the globe to easily record and upload their personal histories for posterity.

We encourage everyone to explore StoryCorps rich archive and maybe even record an oral history. (And might we also suggest that family photo albums serve as great kindling for a deep conversation about personal history.) 

PhotoWings applauds the great work StoryCorps has done and continues to do! 

You can watch StoryCorps founder Dave Issay's 2015 TED Talk here