The Plan: Pin Seniors’ Memories to Digital Maps
Imagine walking through your neighbourhood and being able to pull back the curtains of time as you go. What do people remember from decades ago? What family stories do they have to tell? What used to be where that condo now stands? What did newcomers experience years ago, and have things changed?
These are the questions we want to answer with Mapping our Memories. Thanks to a 2024-25 Government of Canada New Horizon for Seniors (NHSP) contribution, we are now able to continue working on the project.
It’s ambitious we know, but here’s the plan: Build a team to explore memories and historical details about our neighbourhoods and make them easily accessible by linking the collected stories to a digital map. To start, we will be focusing mainly on the west end of Toronto – Roncesvalles and High Park, Parkdale, Swansea, the Junction and Weston — but we will post good stories from across the city!
We are grateful to have software developer Michael Lenaghan building our website. And over the next eight months, we plan to hold free video-making and writing workshops for 55-plus. The workshops will cover subjects such as the elements of a good story, interview techniques, video-making and memoir writing. The cost: Share your stories for Mapping our Memories.
For our video programs, you will be using your smart phones and the simplest editing platforms, such as iMovie and Clipchamp. We want you to gain skills that will allow you to continue making your own videos and, we hope, more videos for Mapping our Memories. For the writing programs, we will coach you on what makes a good story and how, through detail, make it come alive.
The Mapping our Memories project was inspired by Lois Broad, who turned 97 in 2024. The popularity of her video, Growing up in the Junction, showed us how interested people are in what life used to be like in our neighbourhoods. Lois is a gifted story teller. Watch her video here.
We have just completed two video-making course, one at Humber Valley United Church and another at our studio. Thanks go to Anne Pietropaolo helping with the arrangements; Chris Higgins for teaching and coaching; Madelyn Miyashita for sharing her editing expertise on a PC computer.
Join us for our next program at Humbercrest United Church, 16 Baby Point Rd., at Jane and Annette Sts.
Free Video-Making Workshops!
Once again, we are offering a Mapping our Memories video-making program for 55-plus. We will be using smartphones and laptops, equipment you most likely have at hand to put together short videos. Here’s an opportunity to learn basic filmmaking and editing techniques, using equipment you most likely already own. The workshop fee: Make a 2- to 3-minute video, which we hope you’ll be willing to share for our Mapping our Memories project.
We have discovered working with you in groups of two or three works best. So we essentially have “continuous intake” for this program. So, if you’re interested, let us know and we will work see what kind of timing we can work out.
Our instructor is videographer Cheryl Rondeau, who has made many short videos. During the workshops, she will cover simple techniques for recording and editing video. We will also explore online sources for archival photos, records of street addresses and more.
Abandon your fear of new technology! There will be lots of one-on-one help. We will get those videos done and posted on YouTube!
Email us if you can join us. If you are unable to attend this session and would like to take the course, let us know. We are planning future workshops
OUR STUDIO is located at 9 Neepawa Ave., Toronto, M6R 1V1, a block south of Howard Park and just east off Roncy.
Neighbourhood Writing Groups!
We also would like to set up small groups in our west-end neighbourhoods who are interested in collecting seniors’ stories about living in this part of Toronto. It would take just a few days a month, if you would be interested in volunteering for the project. Participants will interview their neighbours and record their stories. They also may be interested in recording their own stories.
We will have a journalist work with each group. Let us know if you might be interested. Please email at ellen@backlanestudios.ca or call 647-313-1654.
Research Workshops:
When you start making videos, you realize how much research you’ve got to do — confirming addresses, perhaps, looking for photos, verifying names. Fortunately, Toronto’s former chief curator, Wayne Reeves, is here to help. He is presenting on-line Zoom workshops on becoming a better researcher. For more information, click here:
Researching your ‘hood online
Jessica Algie, from the City of Toronto Archives, presented free Zoom workshops on how to find out about Toronto buildings and neighbourhoods online. She discussed the resources available, and using the building where Back Lane Studios is located as an example, she showed what she managed to find from available sources.
To find links to resources Jessica mentioned in her presentation, click here.
To watch her presentation on YouTube, click here.