Oral History Project
Diversity for Life’s Oral History Project encourages inter-generational dialogue and community action, to create a greater understanding of the importance of agricultural and dietary diversity for human well-being.
It will be the responsibility of today’s children to face the challenges and implications of biodiversity loss in the future. This is why the Diversity for Life campaign works with students to build a better understanding of the value of the diversity that is critical to human survival and its impact on all aspects of our lives.
The Oral History Project will target students in the 10-12 year old range in various countries through the help of teachers to help better spread awareness of agricultural biodiversity—the diversity of animals and plants upon which food and agriculture depend.
The campaign will make available training materials and guidelines to participating schools. Where possible, campaign staff or partners will interact closely with the schools in the lead up to the project. We will help the students to have an introduction to the project and to the importance of agricultural and dietary diversity.
The project asks students to interview an elderly relative using cameras, voice recorders and/or video recorders. Where necessary, the campaign will supply this equipment.
Sample questions follow:
What are some of the foods you ate as a child?
Are these foods still available? Do you still eat them?
Where did your favorite foods come from? The store? A garden? A forest? A farm?
Do you have any special memories related to specific foods?
After the interviews have been completed, the students will share them with their classmates and they will be uploaded onto an interactive electronic encyclopedia. Here oral histories from all over the world will be available for viewing by the students.
In collaboration with projects and partners working in the school communities, support will be given to creating community gardens to grow traditional plants that can be used to supplement and add greater nutritional value to school feeding programs.
Interested in learning more about the Oral History Project or working with us in your classroom?
Download the brochure:
ohp-brochure_en
Contact us at:
info@diversityforlife.org
