In late 2024, the Sedai Oral History Collection received funding from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society to enhance our archival storage infrastructure and to activate and expand the collection during 2025-2026.
There are three main ‘pillars’ of the project:
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Preservation: Updating our collection to meet current archival standards for digitization of old media, secure storage, and better description of our records. We will improve access through the transcription of over 200 hours of interviews. This crucial groundwork will allow us to remain a trustworthy repository for oral histories from across the broader Japanese Canadian community, now and into the future.
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Outreach and education: Providing resources and support for Japanese Canadians to record oral histories of family members or community elders. The JCCC will be offering both in person and online workshops about how to best capture oral histories, as well as a youth researcher program for young Nikkei to engage with the community archive.
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Activation and Expansion: Using existing footage, we will be creating short documentaries to showcase the value of this collection. We will also be expanding our collection by accepting donations of Japanese Canadian oral histories created within the community, becoming a repository for community members and researchers alike.
Ways to get involved:
Donations of interview footage:
The Sedai Oral History Project will be open to donations of interview footage! We will be looking for recordings of original interviews with people in the Japanese Canadian community or about Japanese Canadian history. These interviews will become part of Sedai and will be kept safe for long-term preservation and access.
Think you might have something? Watch this page, our newsletter, and socials for more information. We will have a form to fill out opening on June 1, 2025.
Contact Claire at clairef@jccc.on.ca or 416-441-2345, ext. 303 for more information.
Workshops:
Watch this space! JCCC Heritage Staff will be presenting oral history workshops in person and online for individuals or Japanese Canadian groups to sharpen interviewing and recording skills.
Contact Karen at karens@jccc.on.ca or 416-441-2345, ext. 300 for more information or to book a workshop for your community organization or group.
There are other ways to support Sedai. For more information, visit Donation Overview.