Continuance

Summer 1995 Volume 9 Number 4

Continuance is a quarterly newsletter funded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It is a collaborative project of the 23 Higher Education Cooperation Act partners in Illinois

In this Issue:
Intergenerational Communication and Interviewing

Contents

Page One

Front Page: Telling our Life Stories: A Basket Full of Memories

Lake Forest: Write about your interview

Page Two

Governor's Proclamation

Page Three

Intergenerational Week

Beginnings of Intergenerational Week

We Must Rediscover Our Stories

Intergenerational Week Pledge

Page Four

Interview Hints

Questions to Get Started

Preparing the Interview

Conducting the Interview

Page Five

Mutual Interviews

Interviewing Grandchildren

Interviewing Relatives

Page Six

Resources for Intergenerational Interviews

Children's Books for Reminiscing

Passing Stories On

Page Seven

Life Harvesting

Resources Resources Resources

Coming

Page One

Telling our Life Stories: A Basket Full of Memories

"I must learn more about my family and friends"

How often have you said to yourself, "I must take time to learn more about my grandparents," or "I have been meaning to talk to my parents about their lives when they were young. . . . One of these days I will. . . Fulfill those good intentions during intergenerational week September 10-16, by interviewing someone of another generation--a parent, grandparent, great grandparent, son, daughter, grandchild, niece, uncle. Talking to each other and enjoying family stories brings harmony and richness to the educational experience. The interview can be as simple as asking a few questions or as comprehensive as an oral history interview. This special issue of Continuance provides suggestions on getting started with an interview and gives resources to keep your intergenerational encounter easy, fun, and one that will give you a basket full of memories. We invite you to join Illinoisans throughout the state during intergenerational week, September 10-16, to interview a relative or friend of another generation.

Write about your interview

For those who would like to share their intergenerational interview, a contest will be held to select 50 of the best stories, anecdotes, or poems based on the intergenerational interviews. The writers can be any age. Categories for writers are: under 8, 9-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81+. Five winners will be chosen from each age category. The winning selections will be compiled in an anthology that representing the best across generations. The Illinois State Library is the coordinating body for the contest. See page 3 for more information, and, the insert, for guidelines.

Page Two

Page Three

Intergenerational Week

Listen to another generation. Then share it with us. Here's a good way to celebrate Intergenerational Week, September 10-16. Talk to someone younger or older than you. Learn about their past. . .their hopes for the future. Then record that talk as a short story, poem, or anecdote and submit it to us. It's as simple as 1-2-3. 1. Listen to the story of another generation. 2. Write about the story. 3. Submit it for competition in a collection to be produced. The contest is sponsored by the Illinois State Library and intergenerational coalitions in cooperation with the Illinois Intergenerational Initiative. See the insert for guidelines or call the Illinois Department on Aging action line 1-800-252-8966.

Intergenerational Pledge

*To respect the ways of other ages.
*To win the hearts, not belittle the thinking of other generations.
*To extend intergenerational cordiality beyond acquaintances and family.
*To advocate intergenerational harmony in the community.

Intergenerational Week in Illinois

Questions such as "Who am I? What is important to me? Where did I come from?" will be echoed throughout the state during intergenerational week, September 10-16. Teachers, students, parents, and older Illinoisans will ask each other to share stories, humorous incidents in their past, and treasured memories. The Illinois celebration features interviews and dialogue between generations as a way of strengthening families and communities. If you have special activities planned for Intergenerational Week, in addition to the intergenerational interviews, we encourage you to share that information. Please describe your events and send pictures if available.

We must rediscover our stories

Our stories, our personal stories, our family stories, are our real gold. If we're lucky, as we age, we put our stories in the bank, where they gather interest, in deepening meaning. As I grew up, I loved listening to my grandparents' stories,: a friend, Liz, told me recently. "I was drawn to their calm and intrigued by the scope of their lives." Today Liz's family members rarely tell stories. "One evening I was baby-sitting a friend's 9-year-old daughter. This little girl loves to hear stories about her mother's life. So she asked me to tell her a story about my childhood, and I was struck with panic. I know I have stories. But here was a child asking me for something so simple as a story and I couldn't think of one. I learned two things that night. One was that I has lost touch with the stories I grew up with; and two, I'm not making many new stories."

The Beginnings of Intergenerational Week

from the Intergenerational Week Bulletin by B.C. Council for the Family

Intergenerational Week was established in 1991 by Fred Ramstedt, a California retiree, to "spot light organizations already active intergenerationally and to promote new activities." Activities which encourage the coming together of different age groups give both young and old people access to a variety of life experiences. Many states celebrate Intergenerational Week in May with a variety of intergenerational promotion activities. One of the most organized celebrations is in British Columbia, coordinated by Maureen Ashland of the B.C. Council for the Family. A logo, a song, and a pledge have been developed to help people publicize Intergenerational Week.

Page Four

Interview Hints

Everyone has memories

Whether you are interviewing a young person or an older person, remember that everyone has memories, regardless of age. Sharing the stories is a bountiful educational experience--one that invigorates classes, enhances speaking and listening skills, and gives individuals a sense of connection.

Questions to Get Started

by Larry Wallingford, Chicago Dept. on Aging

Start the interview with something interesting: compare your "favorites" such as, colors, food, sports, movies, things you own, subjects in school or a childhood memory. Another activity for getting started is "Now and Then." Think about differences when you were both young--for example: popular songs, movie stars, family activities, boy's hairstyles, skirt length, weekend activities, household chores, hardest subject in school, worst problem, favorite grown-up.

More Questions

Storytelling magazine suggests some triggers that get the memories flowing Ancestry--What do you remember about your grandparents? Housing--What are your first memories of your house? did you share a bedroom? Food--Did you help with the cooking? Clothing--What clothing did you wear as a child? What was your favorite thing to wear? Recreation--What did you do for fun in the summer? What did you do for fun in the winter? Religion--What kind of services did you attend? How did music play a part? Transportation--What was your grandparent's mode of transportation? What was your parent's mode of transportation?

Preparing for an Interview

List your questions. Ten questions will take about 30 minutes. You never know how a person will respond. Some people are talkative and informative; others will answer each question in just a few words. Help the interviewee to feel at ease and to talk freely. Create a positive communication climate, keep the questions simple, non-threatening, and encouraging. Combine questions so that the easy-to-answer questions come first and questions that require careful thinking come later.

Conducting the Interview

*Be courteous during the interview. You should start by thanking the person for taking time to talk to you.
*Develop good rapport with he interviewee, and be patient.
*Encourage the person to speak freely.
*Respect what the person says regardless of what you might think of the answers.
*Listen carefully.
*Paraphrase at key places in the interview (Paraphrase means stating in your own words what the person has communicated.)
*Keep the interview moving.
*Use positive non-verbal reactions--facial expression and gestures: --maintain good eye contact, --nod to show understanding, --smile occasionally to maintain the friendliness of the interview.
*Be prepared to show the person a draft of the interview report if you write something about it.
From Communicate! by R.F. Verderber

Page Five

Mutual Interviews

A mutual interview provides an opportunity for both generations to answer and ask questions. The dialogue created lends itself to mutual sharing. Ground rules should be discussed and questions selected before beginning the interview: --Listen carefully. Give one another a chance to talk. --Avoid judging or pressuring for information if either party seems uncomfortable about a subject. --Be alert to, and supportive of, each other's feelings. --Be aware of barriers to communication such as excessive noise or difficulties with hearing. --If you use topics like those below, they should be discussed by both individuals.

Thoughts about childhood

Thoughts about history

Thoughts about today

Thoughts about the future

Interviewing Grandchildren

Contact with grandparents, in the words of Margaret Mead, allows children to "measure time in meaningful biological terms--when Grandmother was young, when Mother was young, when I was young." Children have stories. They have memories. Too often when conducting oral history, we forget about the more recent history being acted by children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. The interviews for Intergenerational Week stress looking at the immediate future through the eyes of young people as well as the more traditional oral history. From Recording Your Family History, W. Fletcher.

Interviewing Relatives by Janice E. Schuetz

"Intergenerational communication among families gives the opportunity to persons of each generation to share experiences with each other. Intergenerational communication in families depends on several factors such as the degrees of affection and liking between family members, their ability to share thoughts and feelings, the confirmation and approval of family members' strengths and weaknesses, and the mutual ability of members to negotiate conflict. Elders learn from children the goals, directions, and values of the young. Elders learn from their adult children about the world of work and technology. In return, of course, adults and children learn from their elders."

"Knowledge of our personal family heritage will generally not be found in history books nor will it be lectured about in the classroom. If the information is to be gained for ourselves and our children, it is necessary for us to take the initiative in developing an oral history, a family tree with comments about as many of the individuals as possible." Anthony Schroeder From Human Communication and the Aging Process, by Carmichael, Botan, and Hawkins.

Page Six

Resources for Intergenerational Interviews

Barbara Elleman, Editor of Booklinks, connects books to intergenerational interviews. Often, preceding an interview, a story helps begin discussion or creates understanding by watching intergenerational dialogue as pages are turned. She observes, however, that most of the children's books view older people in a limited fashion. "Rarely in books do children enjoy activities with more than one grandparent--in fact, rarely do they have more than one grandparent. Furthermore, though children today most likely have grandparents in the 55-65 age range who undoubtedly enjoy careers, travel, and active and productive lives, the vast majority of grandparents depicted in books are gray-haired, homebound, stooped, retired, and frail. There seems to be a nary a business person, factory worker, lawyer, nurse, doctor, or teacher in the bunch. And, although headlines tell of today's many teen mothers, the grandparents of their children, who would probably be only 35-40, are not to be found on the page.

Despite these missing pieces, the articles provide a rich array of stories. The mythic grandparent is very much alive and well in children's books and perhaps that is the way it should be. The loving, the sharing, the memories, the passing on of stories, the appreciation of the last years of life are good for children to experience in their lives--and to find in the pages of their books." From the March 1995 issue of Booklinks. This issue gives wonderful book suggestions and is a must for anyone working with intergenerational audiences. Try your public library or order the issue from the American Library Association, Book Links, 434 W. Downer, Aurora, IL 60506, 708-892-7465.

Children's Books for Reminiscing from Booklinks

*Ackerman, Karen, Song and Dance Man. This ebullient 1989 Caldecott Medal Winner features a vivacious grandfather reminiscing about his old vaudeville days.
*Coats, Laura J., Mr. Jordon in the Park. Ackerman, Karen, Song and Dance Man. This ebullient 1989 Caldecott Medal Winner features a vivacious grandfather reminiscing about his old vaudeville days.
*Coats, Laura J., Mr. Jordon in the Park. Using Mr. Jordon's lifelong visits to the same park as the framework, this book traces his life from infancy through old age, which can open a discussion of a persons life cycle.
*Combs, Ann, How Old Is Old? Written in rhyming couplets, this book explores the relativity of old age. Four-year-old Alistair and his grandfather share the same birthday. When Alistair wonders if his grandfather is old, Grandfather, using examples from the natural world, explains that Alistair is old for a bee, while he is young for a star.
*DePauola, T., Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. Tommy describes his delightful visits to the house where both his grandmother and great-grandmother live, and ultimately discovers how precious memories are.
*Dionetti, Michelle, Coal Mine Peaches. A granddaughter recounts the many tales her grandfather has told her., sharing the history and traditions of her Italian family.
*Fox, M., Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. Wilfrid lives next door to an old people's home, where his favorite person, Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, has four names, just like him. When Wilfrid hears that Miss Nancy has lost her memory, he questions all the old people to find out what a memory is--and then helps Miss Nancy to find hers in a most surprising way.
*Stevenson, James, That's Exactly the Way it Wasn't. Grandpa and his brother Wainey recount their childhood adventures, but each remembers them differently., with the mobility and hurried pace of families today, there are fewer opportunities for that to happen. Stories once told quite naturally are sadly in danger of being lost."

Page Seven

Life Harvesting by Lynn Martin Erickson, Bi-Folkal Productions

I was delighted to hear about Intergenerational Week when Illinoisans will gather a story from someone of another generation. Dr. Eugene Bianchi, author of a wonderful new book called Elder Wisdom says that we constantly re-invent, re-see, recreate our stories, joining the past and the present as we move to the future. He calls this "life harvesting." And that's just what you're doing in Illinois. But how might you begin? Let me count just a few of the ways. One-To-One. If the hardest part for you is getting started, take a look at the sentence completion exercises in First Writes and More Writes and Visits. For each of 40 topics, sentences are started, waiting for your respondent to "fill in the blank." An easy-to-use guide for interviewers of all ages is How to Tape Instant Oral Biographies by William Zimmerman. He covers basic techniques and a list of questions to ask. To interview a family member, use a photo or heirloom as a memory trigger to get your story started.

If you have the time and energy, make your story session a community-building event for your family or neighborhood. Choose any one of 20 topics for which BiFolkal has developed Remembering Kits or mini-kits. (Available through inter-library loan throughout Illinois). Use the slides and tape or the video to introduce the topic of the World War II home front or Fashion or Pets or Music or whatever. Have a couple of people in the group perform the skit. Maybe you'll even listen to the music or sing the songs. Pull the things to tough out of the kit bag. The more senses you involve, the more people you'll involve--and the more you'll involve them! Once everybody is thinking about the same topic, the stories will start flying. Be ready with a tape recorder or a notebook and a fast pen! Other publications from BiFolkal: --First Writes, Sentence completion exercises for writing and discussion. --Learning from the Past, Using BiFolkal Productions in schools and intergenerational settings. --Memory, A catalogue filled with wonderful resources. --And More!!!! BiFolkal Productions, 1-800-568-5357.

Resources Resources Resources

--The Family Storytelling Handbook: How to Use The Family Storytelling Handbook: How to Use Stories, Anecdotes, Rhymes, Handkerchiefs, Paper and Other Objects to Enrich Your Family Traditions, Pellowski, Anne. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1987.inton and Students, New York, Doubleday Books. 1966-1991. Interviews by high school students with folks in Appalachians.

--Great Ancestor Hunt, Lila Peal, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. The fun of finding our who you are.

--It's All Relative: How to Create Your Own Personal Family History Trivia Game, Bowie, MD, Heritage Books.

--Oral History: An Introduction for Students, James Hoopes, Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Press, 1979.

--Past Present: Recording Life Stories of Older People, Sara Jenkins, Washington, DC: St. Alban's Parish, 1978.

--The Power of Memories, Creative Uses of Reminiscence, 1992, American Association of Retired Persons, 601 W. St., NW, Washington, DC 20049, 202-434-2277.

--Recording Your Family History by William Fletcher, New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1986. A wonderful resource full of ideas, sample questions, and suggested topics. Also gives information on oral history using video tape or audio tape.

--Reminisce: the magazine that brings back the good times, contact Editor, 5400 S. 60th Street, Greendale, WI 53129.

--Reminisce: Finding Meaning in Memories, 1989, America Association of Retired Persons, 601 W. St., NW, Washington, DC 20049, 202-434-2277.

--Storytelling, a bimonthly publication of the National Storytelling Association, for more information contact: Editor, NSA, P.O. Box 309, Jonesborough, TN 37659.

--Tales As Tools: The Power of Story in the Classroom. Call NSA at 1-800-525-4515 to order or write National Storytelling Association, P.O. Box 308, Jonesborough, TN 37659.

--Turning Stories into Memories: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories, Practical guide to recording family stories, Denis Ledoux, 1993, Soleil Press, RR1, Box 452, Lisbon Falls, Maine 04252, or 207-352-5454.