BC Social Care Oral History Project
All the way back in 2011, The Federation and the United Community Services Coop (now Realize Strategies) partnered on a pilot project to interview social sector leaders and document the oral history of their careers and of the sector at large. We were really excited about the opportunity and even had a potential funding source lined up but unfortunately, that funding never materialized and the project was put on hold.
In 2019, guided by The Federation’s strategic plan, the project was brought back to life and we began conducting interviews with sector leaders across the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented us from conducting any interviews over the past six months, but we didn’t want that to stop the project from moving forward.
So this week, we are both publicly launching the Social Care Oral History Project and opening nominations for the next round of interviews to (hopefully) take place in the fall and winter. As of today, you can visit the Federation website to read the full transcripts and watch clips from our initial interviews with Jennifer Charlesworth, George Klukowski, Norma Strachan, Kendra Gage, and Tim Agg as well as the original two pilot project interviews with Ian Mass and Tim Beachy.
You can also use this form to nominate the people that you think we should talk to next. (You can submit as many names as you want.) We’re looking for people who have stories to tell, who have attempted or accomplished significant things, who survived challenges, and who have important lessons and insights to share.
The goal of this project is to inspire the future of BC’s social care sector by documenting and sharing it’s past. Over the coming months and years, more and more stories and interviews will be recorded, edited, transcribed, and then added to a growing archive of our collective history, knowledge, and experiences.
This sector is full of valuable wisdom and important history—stories and moments that show what altogether better really means. We believe this project will prove invaluable for raising awareness about the social care sector, paying homage to past leaders, recruiting future leaders, disseminating knowledge and best practices all while strengthening our sense of community.
If you want to get involved or have questions or comments, please contact marshall@fcssbc.ca or rebecca@fcssbc.ca.
Rebecca Ataya Lang
Associate Executive Director
Marshall Watson
Communications Coordinator