Collecting an Oral History of Woodbridge: New program starts Sept. 20

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Woodbridge Potomac Communities Civic Association is hosting an Oral History Program, and you are invited! The six-month project starts with a launch party on Sept.20, 6:30 pm at Harbour View Events Center in Woodbridge.

Read more about the objectives and process below. New Woodbridge (Office of Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi) and RELIC, a program of Prince William County Public Library, are assisting with collecting and sharing stories.

Background: Oral histories are a means of capturing and preserving different perspectives of history by recording the memories of individuals through facilitated interviews.

Objective: The program will capture “a day in the life of a Woodbridge resident” throughout the years. The program will interview new and old residents spanning a range of demographics to provide a comprehensive portrayal of the Woodbridge community and the changes it has undergone.

Program:

Program will span six months, starting on September 20, 2018;
Interviewees will be by invitation and by self-recruitment (all may participate);
Interviews will be both scheduled and available during association events; and
Recordings will be preserved physically and digitally and made publicly available.
Launch: The program will be announced at the Woodbridge Civic Association’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at Harbor View, 13200 Marina Way, Woodbridge. During the event, a panel of four private citizens who grew up in Woodbridge will share their perspectives of life in the community. The Director of the Prince William Library System’s “RELIC” program will conduct these initial interviews. Five questions will be asked of each panelist, each panelist will be provided 3 minutes to respond to each question.

10th Anniversary Event Questions: Panelists will be requested to share their perspective on five questions, including:

How long have you lived in Woodbridge and what brought you here?
What neighborhood(s) have you lived in and what would you say were the defining characteristics of the neighborhood/residents when you moved there?
When you were growing up/first moved here, where were “the” places to go for shopping and things to do in Woodbridge?
Where did you work and what was your commute like?
Describe one major change that has occurred in your time in Woodbridge that has had a positive impact on the community and one major change that has posed new challenges for the community.
To participate, contact Meagan Landis, constituent services manager for Supervisor Frank Principi, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).