Working Family Stories and Treasures of the Hamilton Jewish Community (WFST) is an innovative, workshop-based community arts program for children and seniors. This version of the program has been inspired by the Working Family Treasures program offered by the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre (WAHC) in Hamilton which was in turn based on the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Family Treasures program.
The project is being developed by a Collaborative Partnership of seven community and arts organizations. A mini-pilot project was offered on a volunteer basis in August, 2011 at Camp Kadimah at the Jewish Community Centre.
Working Family Stories and Treasures combines oral history, storytelling, the visual arts and drama. The starting point for participants is to build their own family trees going back to 1900 if possible. Participants will investigate their own family’s journey which culminated in their living and working in the Hamilton area. After creating family trees, local artists will guide participants in telling their family’s most memorable work-related stories in various formats: written, performance and visual arts. A mini-display will be held at each location, followed by a city-wide exhibit – in conjunction with the James Street North Art Crawl.
By identifying and working with family stories and treasures, the program:
1. Will engage the community’s young people and seniors in telling the stories of their family’s journeys to Canada and the kinds of work required to create the community and support its families;
2. Will help us preserve and tell the stories of the generations of our ancestors who are no longer around to tell their own stories;
3. Will provide for the broader community Jewish content relating to many subjects taught in the school system and faced by immigrant populations to this day (discrimination, poverty, lack of jobs, Canadian diversity, etc.);
4. Gives participans a greater appreciation of their own power to preserve and shape the past by acting as its interpreters.
Melinda Richter, Project Coordinator, workingfamilystories@gmail.com
Lyn Center, Project Organizer, lyncenter@hotmail.com
Kathryn Petersen, Project Organizer, k.petersen@sympatico.ca
WFST Program Details
WFST Pledge Form
