Nov 1, 2015 1 min read

Students ages 13 and older across the country are being invited to participate in the Great Thanksgiving Listen to preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans with just a smartphone and a free mobile app.

To help teens and their families understand how this oral history project works, Peters Township Public Library will offer a kick-off event from 7 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12 with Joan Cantrell, a local human interest writer.

Participants will learn a few of Cantrell’s tips to prepare engaging interview questions. She will demonstrate the StoryCorp app that guides users through the Great Thanksgiving Listen interview experience, from recording to archiving to sharing a grandparent’s story. Email programs@ptlibrary.org or call 724-941-9430 to attend.

In addition, students can bring their smartphones and grandparents or older relatives to the library from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 27, and volunteers will help them with the project. Families will learn how to upload their recording to the StoryCorps archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Teachers also are invited to become involved with this project by downloading the teacher toolkit that is available to educators at https://storycorps.me.