America is coming up on its 250th anniversary this week, and to celebrate, StoryCorps and NPR’s Morning Edition are launching a new initiative: Connect 250.
The project will pair listeners from different parts of the country for virtual conversations about their lives and experiences.
The goal is to create a kind of living time capsule while fostering connections across communities. The project is led by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay, who shared the details in a conversation with WFDD’s April Laissle.
Interview Highlights:
On creating connections between strangers:
"We have put strangers together before, and it's a little bit like speed dating, although there's nothing having to do with dating involved in this. People have really intense conversations whether they know each other or not, and that's because of the nature of the questions that are asked."
On what gives him hope:
"We have facilitators who travel around the country, and they call it bearing witness to these interviews. We've had, I don't know, 1,000 facilitators serve at StoryCorps over the years. And to a person, if you ask them what they've learned, they all give a version of the Anne Frank quote that people are basically good."
On creating a living time capsule:
"I think this is the kind of record of who we are that we want to leave for our kids and grandkids, and I know what's going to happen. I know that people are going to have incredible experiences. I know people are going to feel incredibly connected to the people they talk to, and I know people are going to feel that it's one of the most important conversations that they had all year."
Those interested in participating can sign up at Connect250.org. Conversations will begin July 7.