Project: Pier 21
Pier 21 was the gateway to Canada for one million immigrants between 1928 and 1971, and is now a National Historic Site at the Halifax seaport. The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 explores the theme of immigration to Canada in order to enhance public understanding of the experiences of immigrants as they arrived in Canada, the vital role immigration has played in the building of Canada and the contributions of immigrants to Canada’s culture, economy and way of life. The Museum partnered with Community Story Strategies to deliver ten digital storytelling workshops, collecting 86 stories of immigration from across Canada.
Storytellers ranged in age from 7 to 90 years old, and represented many religions, cultural groups and geographic areas in Canada. They came to Canada as children or as seniors, fleeing war, coming to study or work, had parents from two cultures, and fled family violence or state violence. They fell in love with the land, started language and art programs, fought racism and sexism, became scientists, changed policies, united families and through it all, contributed to the complexity of Canadian identity. It is the Museum’s goal that stories from this collection be used in permanent exhibits, traveling exhibits, education programs and an online gallery of digital stories.
“I worked with Jennifer and Emmy in two locations and was very impressed by how quickly they were able to build trust and rapport with participants; a key component in creating spaces where participants felt empowered to share personal stories. They are expert facilitators and demonstrated a natural ability to balance the technical and artistic components of creating a digital story.”
– Matthew Ritchie, Youth Public Programs Coordinator, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
“We think that the personal stories of our filmmakers will help our visitors see beyond immigration statistics and newspaper headlines. We know they will touch people and open their hearts.”
– Carrie-Ann Smith, Chief, Audience Engagement, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21