KFPL asking community to share their COVID-19 pandemic stories
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting us all in different ways. Parents are struggling to help with distance learning — many trying to work from home themselves. Businesses are faced with uncertain futures. Careers, health and livelihoods are all at risk. Life is thoroughly disrupted. These are the stories waiting to be told in our community.
StoryMe, a project started in 2012 by KFPL for Digital Kingston to capture local history, has shifted focus and is now looking to collect stories, images and moments reflective of this tumultuous time in our history.
“We’re looking for stories about everyday life in Kingston Frontenac during this unique time in history,” said Kimberly Sutherland Mills, Manager of Programming and Outreach. “Community members are invited to contribute digital photos, images, text, audio and video recordings. The collection will share our community’s story during the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting us now and preserving the memories the future.”
Sutherland Mills share her own reflections on the current pandemic.
“We’ve been lucky enough that my husband and I are able to continue working from home, and our two young adult children live with us, but we’re still feeling the isolation,” she said. “Our family has been getting a lot of enjoyment from the birds visiting our feeders – more every day as the weather gets warmer – and we go for a lot of walks in our neighbourhood.”
When it comes to recalling days gone by, the art of storytelling plays a huge role socially, Sutherland Mills explained.
“Storytelling is a uniquely human activity – it connects us to each other,” she expressed. “A team reliving game highlights over a drink is storytelling, and so is much of social media. Sharing our stories brings us together. The COVID-19 StoryMe project gives people a chance to share those stories, and reading them will bring our community together as we see ourselves reflected in each others’ experiences.”
For more details on how to participate, visit https://www.digitalkingston.ca/story-me/storyme-covid-19-edition
Selected stories will be shared on the Digital Kingston StoryMe site at https://www.digitalkingston.ca/story-me.
Jessica is a busy working mom who enjoys writing, editing, and photography. She loves raising her family here in Kingston and tries hard to enjoy all Kingston has to offer. You can find more of her writing on her blog A Modern Mom’s Life, and see what she gets up to with her family on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!