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Record your elder

One piece of advice in the mother tongue, 2–3 minutes. Here is how to film it on a phone.

Upload the video on the site

  • Your own elderA grandmother, a grandfather, a neighbour — someone close.
  • One piece of adviceOne thought worth passing on to the grandchildren.
  • 2–3 minutesIn the mother tongue, on an ordinary phone.

How to film

  1. A quiet place

    Turn off the TV and close the window. Sit side by side, facing the light from a window.

  2. The phone at eye level

    Hold it horizontally on a stand or a stack of books, about an arm’s length away.

  3. Name, age and town

    The elder begins: “My name is…, I am … years old, I am from …”. First name only, no surname.

  4. One piece of advice

    2–3 minutes in the mother tongue. Do not translate: our volunteers write the subtitles.

  5. The closing words

    At the end: “Call someone older than you today.”

  6. Consent

    Before sending, the elder agrees to publication. They give their age and town in the video themselves; on the site’s pages we show only the first name, decade of birth, region and language.

Call today: 5 questions

If the elder does not know where to start, ask one of these.

  1. What advice would you give yourself at twenty?
  2. What was the hardest thing in your life, and what helped?
  3. What did your parents teach you that you still remember?
  4. What is happiness?
  5. Which word or proverb in your mother tongue would you leave to your grandchildren?

The site publishes a recording only with the elder’s written consent. The consent text is on the data policy page.

Data policy and consent

Send the recording

Upload the video on the site

Up to 1 GB: fits a 2–3 minute video filmed on a phone.

Sending through the Telegram bot opens soon.

What happens after you send it

  1. A moderator checks the recording and the consent.

  2. Volunteers write the subtitles.

  3. A native speaker checks the subtitles, and the recording gets the ✦ “Checked by a native speaker” mark.

  4. The recording appears on the site.

It usually takes up to 2 weeks. If anything needs clarifying, a moderator will write to the contact you left.

Questions by rubric

Does your elder love to cook, sing or remember? Choose a rubric and ask one of its questions.

  • Advice for the young

    • What did you understand late that you wish you had known when you were young?
    • How do you keep from quarrelling with your family over small things?
    • What is most worth looking after while you are young?

  • Generations’ workshop

    • Which dish do you cook for a holiday, and who taught you to make it?
    • What must never be done differently in this dish, and why?
    • Which craft did your hands learn from your elders: sewing, the garden, woodwork? Show it from the first step.

  • Elders’ blogs

    • What did you remember from your childhood today?
    • What was this day or holiday like when you were young?

  • Proverbs and parables

    • Which proverb did you hear most often from your parents?
    • When do you remember it, and what does it mean?

  • Songs and lullabies

    • Which lullaby was sung to you as a child?
    • Which song did people sing at weddings when you were young? Sing a verse.

  • Life stories

    • Which day do you think was the most important in your life?
    • How did you meet your husband or wife?
    • Where were you born, and what was your home like?