PlaceStories: Landcare tales in Cyberspace

By: Rachel Hill, Landcare and Community Support Officer

As the internet and technology plays an increasingly large part of our everyday lives, some of us struggle to keep pace with the latest gadgets and software. The enormous amount of information at our fingertips can be both a curse and saviour.

In the case of PlaceStories, the internet is a means of not only saving, but celebrating the inspiring tales of community efforts by groups and individuals.

PlaceStories is a computer program developed by FeralArts, a not-for-profit organisation based in Queensland, to enable community groups to tell the stories about what is important about their ‘place’ – where they come from. It was first used by indigenous communities in Western Queensland.

PlaceStories creates a story from photos, video footage and voice recordings. The final product is similar to a mini-documentary which can be published and viewed on the internet. 

These digital stories capture the essence of story telling; in their simplest form they are a series of photos with a voice-over narrating the story.

In NSW training in the use of PlaceStories has been by a partnership between Landcare NSW, FeralArts and TAFE, and it is now being used by community groups, government organisations and individuals across the State.

The PlaceStories website has several uses, in addition to being a library of on-line stories. The website can be used to form groups and networks, to share ideas and simply to be inspired by others’ stories. PlaceStories can also be used to accompany funding applications or to advertise an event or organisation. 

As a visual aid, PlaceStories can be equally effective as the written word in illustrating a vision or a project. The Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority has taken this one step further, with all nominations for their Landcare Awards submitted in a PlaceStories format.

A number of local community members were trained on how to make stories which would showcase some of the natural resource management works in the Namoi Catchment. This led to the creation of a number of tales about environmental projects in the region, including the formation of the Tamworth Urban Landcare group and a history of the work by Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group. These and lots of other inspiring stories can be viewed on the PlaceStories website http://landcarensw.placestories.com/project?id=2300002.

PlaceStories is recognised by Landcare NSW as an important tool to acknowledge and celebrate the land management works by community associations, in particular landcare groups. Many of these volunteers undertake their work quietly without fuss; yet through their humble efforts make a significant contribution to the conservation and care of our natural environment. PlaceStories allows this grassroots work to be seen by the greater public and remains etched in history on the PlaceStories website.

PlaceStories is easy to use and the software to create the stories can simply be downloaded from the internet. This is a great way to get some recognition for your group to put itself back on the map and perhaps inspire others elsewhere in Australia. For more information about PlaceStories, or to be involved in a workshop, contact Rachel Hill at LPLM: 6741 8316.

www.lplmc.com.au