3. Gulf of Georgia Cannery: Fish Tales

Project Description

Note: This project will take place in person

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is located in the historic fishing village of Steveston, the largest commercial small-craft fishing port in Canada. Built in 1894, the Cannery was once the largest of its kind, and was known as the “Monster Cannery”. Today the Cannery is the last among more than 15 canneries that once stood on the Steveston waterfront. Now a national historic site, our exhibits showcase the history of Canada’s West Coast fishing industry.

Fish Tales

In 2021, GoGC partnered with UBC's Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC). Through this partnership, a team of students from the UBC's "Food and the Heritage of Chinese Migrations" course brainstormed a project to help our society connect with a broader audience who may not typically associate with the stories offered at our historic sites.

The resulting project is called Fish Tales, in the form of community-based storytelling, to document and share personal stories in an effort to create community ties and a sense of belonging, through the topic of “seafood”! Stories were initially collected from the students’ friends and families, and we plan to broaden this scope to include society members, partners, and visitors to future Cannery events and exhibits. Fish Tales was further supported by LFS 350 students in the Winter 2022 term; their work focused on the roles of Asian Canadians in the local seafood industry

A rewarding and sometimes emotional process, oral histories have traditionally been much more accessible to marginalized groups, and those without literacy skills to record stories in writing. As part of its mission to help visitors learn and discover pieces of fishing and canning stories in our West Coast Fishing industry, students committing to this project will ultimately add value to the storytelling facets at GoGC. In this project, students will work with the Fish Tales team from Gulf of Georgia Cannery to choose a subset(s) of the Steveston Community (e.g. local seniors, school children, food business owners, newcomers, etc.). With support from the GoGC team, LFS 350 students will gather stories about seafood and its personal and cultural importance, so that the narratives can be shared through the Fish Tales project.

Main Project Activities and Deliverables

• Work with GoGC staff to identify a subset(s) of the Steveston Community who will be the focus of the project. Some factors to consider include students' interests and skills, GoGC existing relationships with community networks, ease of accessibility/likelihood of participation
• Work with GoGC to determine the most appropriate method/format for story collection (e.g. interviews, video, audio)
• Develop a list of questions or other guidance document to support the story gathering process
• The target number of community participants will be determined with GoGC staff
• Compile and communicate findings in a digital format (video, audio, mapping)
• Students are encouraged to be proactive and creative in doing their research and presenting their findings to the community
• Final deliverables will be used for public engagement purposes.

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent listening skills
• Creativity and interest in public engagement/digital communications
• Proficiency reading, reviewing, and condensing academic and non-academic literature and information
• Interest in community programming
• Interest in oral history and local history
• Strong organizational skills
• Note: the intimate nature of oral history interviews requires transparency, collaboration, and thoughtful planning throughout the various stages and aspects of the project

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• Not at this time

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• Possibly, depending on the population chosen as the project focus. E.g. partnering with a local school or seniors centre may require a vulnerable population CRS, as determined by the partner organization's policies
• If needed, please seek guidance from the teaching team about the CRS process

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

At the first community partner meeting, students should clarify the partner's expectations for the following aspects of the project. Who will take the lead, or if leadership is to be shared, to what extent are students expected to lead?

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s):
• Developing the activity plan and timeline:
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.):
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups):
• Finalizing the deliverable(s):

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• Please visit our Volunteer page to view the most current list of volunteer opportunities

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• GoGC website, especially background information on the Fish Tales project
• Visit our Instagram and look for the “Fish Tales” Instagram highlight, or search #whatsyourfishtale. An example of storytelling campaign for the GOGC done by previous ACAM students: Fish Tales posts are from October 2021 to November 2021
• Please request the Fish Tales handbook from your TA

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

• Fish Tales (one minute student video)
• Students may have the opportunity to visit Gulf of Georgia Cannery at Steveston during the first Flexible Learning week (check with community partner to confirm)
• Oral History Resources (general best practices, ethics, technical considerations, interviewing techniques, etc.). University of Toronto Libraries
• Checklist for Accessible and Inclusive Event Planning and Respectful Dialogues Guide. UBC Equity and Inclusion Office
• LFS workshops and resources on audio recording