The Story of Us is a West Coast-based oral history and digital storytelling initiative by Descendant Media. Rooted in towns across the West Coast, the project exists to preserve, honour, and digitally archive the lived histories of our communities.

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At its core, the initiative recognises that our heritage lives in the voices of our elders, in the memories held within families, and in the cultural landscapes that shape our identity. Too often, these stories remain undocumented and risk being lost over time. The Story of Us works to ensure they are recorded, preserved, and shared for future generations.

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Through hands-on workshops, young participants are trained in oral history methods, interviewing, writing, photography, and digital storytelling. They engage directly with elders, neighbours, and cultural figures in their towns — building a powerful, community-owned archive of stories.

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This process comes full circle as the young participants return these stories to their communities, presenting their work through public exhibitions that create space for reflection, recognition, and intergenerational dialogue.

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The Story of Us is ’n Weskus-gebaseerde mondelinge geskiedenis- en digitale storievertelling-inisiatief deur Descendant Media. Gewortel in dorpe regoor die Weskus, bestaan die projek om die geleefde geskiedenisse van ons gemeenskappe te bewaar, te eer en digitaal te argiveer.

In sy kern erken die inisiatief dat ons erfenis leef in die stemme van ons ouer mense, in die herinneringe wat binne families voortleef, en in die kulturele landskappe wat ons identiteit vorm. Te dikwels bly hierdie stories ongedokumenteer en loop hulle die gevaar om met tyd verlore te raak. The Story of Us werk daaraan om te verseker dat hulle opgeteken, bewaar en met toekomstige geslagte gedeel word.

Deur praktiese werkswinkels word jong deelnemers opgelei in mondelinge geskiedenismetodes, onderhoudvoering, skryfwerk, fotografie en digitale storievertelling. Hulle tree direk in gesprek met ouer mense, bure en kulturele figure in hul dorpe — en bou so ’n kragtige, gemeenskapsbesitte versameling van verhale.

Hierdie proses kom tot voltooiing wanneer die jong deelnemers hierdie stories na hul gemeenskappe terugbring en hul werk deur openbare uitstallings aanbied — ruimtes wat geleentheid skep vir refleksie, erkenning en intergenerasionele gesprek.