JOBS
People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO)
Hiring UofG Student Story Curators for Fall 2024
PARO invites graduate and upper undergraduate students to join the team as story curators. Three paid positions for the Fall 2024 term starting mid-September are available.
About PARO
The People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO) is an online archive dedicated to documenting and celebrating rural voices and stories. Affiliated with the University of Guelph, our mission is to contribute to the recovery, preservation, and revitalization of rural Ontario. We collect personal and community stories from a broad range of sources to be produced for the archive as text, audio, video, and/or photography.
PARO prioritizes diversity and the inclusion of underrepresented rural people. We are committed to creating a platform where rural stories are valued and shared.
The Role: Story Curator
Are you a passionate university student with a knack for writing and storytelling? Become a part of the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario’s (PARO) mission to contribute to the recovery, preservation and revitalization of rural Ontario one story at a time.
As a Story Curator, you will be responsible for discovering and developing rural stories (based on one’s own or other peoples’ story leads) from inception to the final editorial stages. You will collaborate closely with storytellers to help them share their experiences through multimedia formats that resonate most with their stories. Story Curators will receive training from the PARO team and build skills in research ethics, oral history methods, and journalistic editing.
The student will be expected to curate 4-5 stories during the semester. We anticipate that it will take an average of 10 hours per story. Each completed and uploaded story will earn the student $200.
Successful Story Curators will have the opportunity to renew the appointment.
Key Responsibilities:
-
Story Discovery: Independently identify and pursue leads on rural stories (any theme or topics are welcome)
-
Collaboration: Work directly with storytellers to help them share their narratives, providing guidance on the best format (written, audio, photography etc.,) for their story
-
Production: Assist in the writing, editing and production of these stories to ensure they meet the standards and goals of the PARO archive
What You Will Gain:
-
Hands-on experience in oral history methods, multimedia storytelling, and ethical research practices
-
Opportunity to contribute to a meaningful project that highlights the resilience and diversity of rural Ontario people and communities
-
Skill development in interviewing, content creation, and multimedia production
-
First-author publication on PARO’s archive & faculty references (on request)
About You:
​
-
Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at the University of Guelph
-
Excellent writing skills and knowledge of rural Ontario is desirable
-
Passionate about storytelling, rural life, and valuing the lived experiences of others
-
Strong interest in, and experience in multimedia formats (writing, audio, video, photography) and a desire to enhance your skills in these areas
-
Previous experience in storytelling, content creation, interviewing, or editing is an asset but not a requirement
To Apply:
Interested students, please apply with a CV, a short statement of interest (not exceeding 300 words) describing relevant experience and your interest in PARO, and three-story ideas.
Please email your application to: paro@uoguelph.ca with the subject heading “Story Curation Application” by September 16th, 2024.