Have you ever listened to someone telling a personal story and said, “Wow — really? That truly happened?” Or “Yep, me too. I had those exact feelings when the same thing happened to me.” Or even, “Well, that couldn’t be further from anything I’ve ever experienced. But I understand how they must feel.”

We believe that communities become stronger when people share their stories; maybe it’s the primary way they become stronger. That’s why we want to capture an archives-worth of stories from the East County area and present them in an easy audio format that everyone can access. 

With the help of a new community-building grant, we’re launching a project called East County Voices. It’s modeled after StoryCorps, a national nonprofit that’s been collecting and preserving stories from people of all backgrounds for 25 years. 

StoryCorps’ mission is to help us believe in one other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. This resonates with us because it’s exactly what we at ECCA are working toward, too. By preserving and sharing our stories, we’re helping to build connections and understanding, teach the value of listening, and promote the idea that everyone’s story matters. At the same time, we are creating an invaluable archive for future generations.  

So consider this your formal invitation! First, choose a partner. It could be a friend, family member, colleague, or someone you’re curious about. Then, decide on a topic to discuss and write down some questions. (We can even give you some suggestions). What story in your family or community feels important to share and preserve right now? What event has had a big impact on your life? What relationship do you want to honor or explore? What historical experience, well-know or little-known, do you want to capture on audio?

We’ll help you plan your conversation and schedule a time for you and your interview partner to sit down together and talk. A professional audio technician will be on hand to record you. We’ll upload the audio to StoryCorps archive where it will be saved for posterity in the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Best of all, portions of your conversation will be posted on ECCA’s website. This project is ongoing, but by the end of 2026, we hope to have 50 stories from people throughout East County to share.

We’ve all had the experience of stumbling into a conversation and leaving astounded by what we’ve heard. Now we can have it the same experience as a community by recording and sharing important conversations. Want to know more? Ready to sign up? Let us know by clicking the link below.

Want to know a bit more? Read our interview with the Post-Record about the Voices project.