Digital Story Tellers at Silver Harbour

Digital Story Tellers

Tuesday mornings at Silver Harbour Senior Center in North Vancouver, a group of us come together to learn, to share, and to reminisce. We are the digital storytellers and we come from many walks of life and from a variety of age groups. Our greatest commonality is that we have stories to tell. The uniqueness of the program is that it allows us to tell our stories in pictures and sound.

Our first task is to choose a story. Many opt to tell a story of something special about the earlier times of their life:

• boyhood adventures on Shushwap Lake
• budding manhood enterprises aboard ship in the Navy
• visions inspired by settlement in Canada, a country so loved from the moment of arrival
• survival of cold harsh Saskatchewan winters in the early 1900’s
• rediscovery of the wonder of light, and the wonder of being alive

Others choose to tell about influences and passions they enjoy as senior people.

• the dancing career that has acquired awards and recognition for one spirited, energetic senior
• the influence of a special friend who inspired a love for the beauty of a glorious garden
• the precious piano, which came into one participant’s life when she was two and continues to be a major influence in her life today

Though the stories are inspiring and beautiful, organizing them into concisely compelling essays is challenging. This is where our talented and patient facilitator, Patti steps in. She takes the stories and using her expertise and experience as a writer, helps each person develop their writings into tales that audiences love to hear.



Telling these stories gives us the opportunity to go through those long forgotten albums of pictures hidden away in cedar chests, packed away in basements, stored away in forgotten attics. Finding just the right pictures to fit into the story is truly a challenge, but pulling oneself away from all the memories they stimulate is even more difficult. Staying on task is the key to completing this part of the program.


Now comes the most demanding task of all. Putting all these stories and pictures into digital form.


Corin, with her ingenious proficiency and talent is our tech support facilitator. She and Patti have managed to beg, borrow, and buy all our technical needs: cameras, microphones, and a whole lab full of macintosh computers fully loaded with all the required software.

Many are not comfortable or even familiar with this high tech aspect of life. When inputting all collected information for their story, confusion often reigns.





Though Corin has all the answers to the questions we ask, it is impossible to keep pace with the needs of the group. Youthful volunteers come in to assist, to help record the memories, and to clarify the ideas that need to be written.

We are persisting. Our intention is to have the stories completed and ready for publication by the middle of May. We are encouraged with what we have accomplished so far. But above all, we want to say,“Bless our facilitators and our young enthusiastic volunteers for their patience, their expertise, and their willingness to persevere to help us create such unique productions”.