Making history: York Region wants to record your COVID-19 stories for future generations

The journals -- paper or digital -- will contribute to York Region’s archives, which will be accessible for future generations

Yorkregion.com
June 9, 2020
Sheila Wang

Life as we know it has changed.

The masked faces in the stores, the cooped-up kids learning online, the physically distanced visits to loved ones, and the excessive screen time spent at home. There is no doubt that everyone has a unique story to tell about how they cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Regional Municipality of York wants to invite residents across the region to share their records of experiences, feelings and thoughts in the time of COVID-19, to help future generations understand the unprecedented pandemic in our lifetime.

The journals -- paper or digital -- will contribute to York Region’s archives, which will be accessible for future generations.

“There have been a number of encouraging signs, recovery stories and heartfelt challenges in York Region. And we want to hear about them,” spokesperson Stephanie Crowley wrote in an email on June 5.

Residents are welcome to share their recordings in a variety of formats, including audio or video recordings, poems, photos, scrapbooks or diaries to capture their unique experiences during the pandemic.

The region has provided a journal template to get interested residents started, covering a wide range of topics, such as personal struggles, working from home and front-line heroes.

The region can provide digital copies and photos of the memorabilia for the contributed physical items.

Contact archives@york.ca if you are interested in donating your records.