StoryCorps Booth Day

Hi, this is Carmelisa blogging today, one of the fifteen TAC interns at the CJM. Within the TAC program, I am also in an apprenticeship with StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and the beliefs the opportunity to record, share, and preserve their life stories, along with Eliza.
For our apprenticeship's final project, our mentors, Natalia and Sophia, gave us an amazing opportunity for us to really see how StoryCorps works. We were given our very own Booth Day. On this day, the interview appointments we scheduled ourselves will come in and we are responsible for fascilitating the process from getting forms filled out to making sure our participants are prepared. For this project, we had to do research on organizations that fulfill StoryCorps' goals. It wasn't just about finding random people to come in for an interview. There are a number of our participants that need to be from particular ethnic backgrounds. It's StoryCorps' way of creating a diverse archive and reflecting the true community as a whole, not just one part of it. 

 As Eliza and I researched different organizations and tried contacting them, I realized how hard it is to reach people. It was either no one answered their phones or they didn't reply back to the email. Then it came down to just a few weeks before our Booth Day and we were both scrambling for people to fill our interview slots. I asked a lot of my friends, family, and even my teachers. No one really knew what the organization was, but when I explained to them what it was all about and how it worked, they got really interested.  
I now understand how word of mouth is the best way of reaching out to people. It's different when it's a phone call or an email, you are limited to what can be expressed. But in person, it's so much more powerful. It's like you see their emotions radiating just because they're right in front of you. You're not just reading text or hearing a voice from some stranger. The greater effect is the way you present yourself and how you persuade people to come with your first impression. The impact of being physically there makes all the difference.

Filling out forms before the interview.

It was less than a week before our Booth Day, and we only had two confirmed interviews. I finally got two friends of mine to come and my teacher and his family. Eliza was able to get another interview slot filled. We had one more unconfirmed slot, but they weren't able to come.

Rosa and her mom after their interview.

Our Booth Day had arrived. Our first two scheduled appointments went by smoothly. For our 1pm slot, we needed to find a walk-in. Eliza was walking around the museum and she managed to find a mother and son who were on vacation from L.A that agreed to interview. We thought the rest of the day would be over, but then our 2pm was running late and the clock was ticking. So instead of the scheduled interview, we found another walk-in eager for the opportunity. The rest of the day went by very well and we left the museum feeling proud and accomplished.

Participants in the Booth.

A lot of things could of went wrong, like a no show or some technical difficulties, or even some angry people. But I feel like our mentors prepared us for our Booth Day and when we hit a rough patch, we knew how to play our cards right. This rewarding experience has shown me how a nonprofit organization works and how hard you need to work to make it all happen. It was a lot of fun. I got to work with really cool people. 

My mentors were GREAT. They were really supportive, worked with our crazy schedules, and made this apprenticeship something to look forward to. What really stuck in my mind is what my mentors told me about their experiences while working in StoryCorps. I got to experience them while working as a StoryCorps intern. Some participants came out very happy and thankful for the experience. And there were others that seemed overwhelmed. I remember seeing a participants face look so surprised at herself because of everything she was never able to say until that day in the Booth. Our Booth Day has shown me how a simple idea could affect the lives of many. StoryCorps has certainly changed the way the lives of Americans will be remembered.


(If you want to read more, you can check out the blog post that Frank, a StoryCorps facilitator, wrote about us and our Booth Day!