Our Elders,Our Stories
Collect · Preserve · Publish
An Elder’s memories.
A child’s special book.
A suggested 12-week journey, with space to move at your own pace.
Meet. Choose. Practise.
Connect each child with a participating storyteller. Establish permissions and community expectations, choose suitable questions, and practise recording.
Make room for a story.
Each week, the child asks a question and listens. Use the Capture a Story page to record with permission. With live transcription selected on a supported browser, words appear as they are recognized. Type instead when that is more suitable. Review and correct the transcript with the Elder, then copy it into a journal. Children may add drawings or reflections. A missed week is simply a chance to return later.
Review together. Make the book.
Storytellers review and approve their contributions. Children help prepare the approved collection for publication in a special book. Review the layout together and arrange the printed copies your school or family would like.
Every story has a choice.
Share it. Choose another. Keep it between you. Listening can be valuable even when a story is never recorded.
Check before you keep.
Live transcription is not an AI retelling. It can miss words and needs review, especially for Indigenous languages and names. Preserve the Elder’s wording and ask a speaker to check translations.
Open Capture a Story →What goes into the published book?
Approved stories from the storyteller, with optional photographs, drawings, and a child’s reflections. The Elder’s words and the child’s contribution remain clearly separate. The journal becomes the bridge between a recorded conversation and an approved book chapter.
What if circumstances differ?
A trusted family member or community-approved Elder can participate. Schools may arrange supported small-group conversations where appropriate, with agreement about how the stories will be used.