UC Journalism students are trialling a new form of community journalism in a final-term project to record and share people’s everyday stories about the Canterbury earthquakes and recovery.
The University of Canterbury project, developed in partnership with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’s community resilience team, aims to develop new ways for journalists to engage with and report on their communities, and at the same time help grassroots communities share and connect through their earthquake experiences.
Through September and October, students will work closely with community groups and individuals to co-write stories about life in Canterbury post-quake. Their aim is twofold: one, to share stories that may inspire and help others, and connect people with common experiences and interests; and, two, to work collaboratively with communities to help them tell their own stories. At its heart, it is an attempt to find new forms of community conversation and storytelling.
The final stories, along with participants’ reflections on the project, will be hosted here later this year.
