Call for Volunteers! Putting It All in the Permanent Record
Remember in elementary school when our bad behavior was threatened to go in our “permanent record?” Ha-ha, there was no such thing.
Well, it turns out there is. And it’s the kind of permanent record we want to leave behind.
There’s a group called StoryCorps, and a special arm of it called StoryCorps OutLoud, born out of a National Public Radio initiative now a separate non-profit, working to preserve our stories—life stories, coming out stories, CAMP Rehoboth stories and more—and, with our permission, archive us in the Library of Congress.
It’s well known that I’m an advocate for preserving our gay culture and handing down our stories to the next generations. The StoryCorps OutLoud project does just that for the LGBTQ community, trying to make recordings in every state. And they are coming to CAMP Rehoboth to get us on record for Delaware.
Their audio crew is coming to us Nov. 3-5, 2016. We need 30 volunteers, for 15 interviews.
StoryCorps is an experience meant to be shared between two people who know each other really well, for an uninterrupted 40-minute recording, to share stories of their lives, of the gay community in Rehoboth and other meaningful topics.
Pairs can be friends, family members or colleagues. No partners or spouses, please.
CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Steve Elkins and yours truly will be chatting for a recording—we’ve been friends and co-workers for over 20 years and will go on record with stories that have been important to us.
What will Steve and I discuss? I’m pretty sure part of the conversation will include the founding of CAMP Rehoboth and what the organization has accomplished. But I’m having fun thinking of other fun questions to ask him.
What would you like to archive? Your history and the people who inspired you? Tales of Pride parades and early gay life? How did moving to or visiting Rehoboth Beach change your life? Your take on the progress we’ve made in equality? A revealing story nobody has heard?
StoryCorps will record your conversation, and, with your permission, archive it at the Library of Congress for future generations. You and your interview partner will receive a copy of the conversation.
Team up with a pal and volunteer for a recording slot November 3-5 at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. We cannot promise everyone who volunteers will get a slot this first time, but we intend to continue recording our stories at other times. StoryCorps needs to hear from a wide cross-section of people—different ages, cultures, occupations, life stories, etc. So scheduling will be challenging.
But we encourage all who are interested to contact CAMP Rehoboth at 302-227-5620. You will be placed on our list for consideration. The recordings are on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so locals as well as weekenders can participate.
We need your voice! So team up with a friend to get on the list for November and beyond. We need 15 conversations with 30 voices, so give CAMP Rehoboth a call at 302-227-5620. You’ll go down in history!