This project is coordinated by the Midpeninsula Community Media Center, located in Palo Alto, CA. It is made possible with support from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Our project has a number of goals:
- Compile, present and share stories related to immigration that build bridges of interest, empathy and commonality among Silicon Valley residents
- Compile, present and share stories related to immigration that generate a positive understanding of the ways that immigrants build the strength and vitality of the U.S. and the Silicon Valley area in particular
- Compile a bank of stories related to immigration that can be used in strategic ways as an educational activity or tool in classrooms, and/or a resource for policymakers, and the press.
- Teach students interviewing and writing skills
- Encourage children and adults to talk to elders to record family history
- Record immigrant stories to paint a picture of local history and an historical archive
- To develop an online resource that can be a springboard for offshoot projects. These might include live story presentations before an audience; story exchanges between students and participating community groups; or stories focused on a particular community, neighborhood or demographic group that is facing a specific, immigrant-related challenge.