Stories to Remember. Stories are both told and listened to. They are cultural foundation stones. Stories teach lessons with purpose and value while communicating basic truths in both real and imagined frameworks. Immigrants, refugees and travelers to our shores bring their stories with them. Careful and close listening reveal different ways of speaking, thinking, and living. The sharing of universal human experiences in stories of difficulty, adventure, faith, strength, and love build communication that is enjoyable and fosters understanding across cultures.

As Rachel Naomi Remen has profoundly noted in ""Second Acts that Change Lives" by Mary Beth Sammons, "The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words."

Stories are what we will be remembered for and how we will remember others. This website is dedicated to digitally sharing and preserving stories told in the voices of the immigrants and refugees themselves. A listening legacy of timeless truth for this and future generations.

A digital story is a 1 to 5-minute movie clip narrated by the storyteller, often in first person, using the visual imagery of still photos and background music to set a mood. Creating digital stories is fun, but it requires the storyteller to think about the use of media along with a written story narration. The process contributes to deep learning by involving a variety of skills. Done correctly, digital stories have a type of powerful immediacy that engages the listener and provokes reaction. How often have you been moved to tears or laughter or anger or thought by a story? And how often have you remarked, " That story is worth remembering." Preserving stories in a digital format is not only an enriching experience for the creator, but it stands as an enduring bridge to future generations of storytellers and eager listeners.

Voice recording of conversations has been around for a long time. However, the movement created by StoryCorps for people to talk to each other about their life stories and preserve them puts a focus on the ordinary person, who, just may have some extraordinary stories to share. ESL teachers have heard many stories in their classrooms from their students. Stories of heartbreak, loneliness, courage and joy are told in touching, accented English. These voices telling their life stories must be heard and preserved. They are a part of the cultural fabric of the community and country and a significant force behind change.

Tape recorders are being replaced by digital recording on computers making the editing of soundtracks or the addition of musical or sound effects and even pictures in a podcast format easy and interesting. Recording longer conversations with simple questions such as, "What kind of problems did you have when you first arrived in the U.S.?" lead to more in-depth reflections of life stories and create an opportunity for deep listening.