Great news! NC State University has awarded the team a small seed grant to hire a web developer to create a prototype application that uses mobile texting messaging services as a means for any community members with a mobile phone to submit archival materials directly from their phone via text messages.

We are accepting applications at the moment, and we will be working to create a feasible version of the texting app that can be integrated with this year’s Camp Sivunniigvik led by Aqqaluk Trust (AT). AT has devoted significant resources to teaching activities, such as fish netting, berry picking, snare building and other survival skills, to regional youth through programs, such as AT’s Camp Sivunniigvik. The REMA team is currently working with AT’s youth camp, where the texting app prototype would be integrated into their curriculum. AT’s leadership sees this community archiving tool as an exciting new development to connect their digital archiving goals with pre-existing programs in subsistence learning, language revitalization, and transmission of community Elder knowledge and experience to future generations.

Practically, the mobile texting application would integrate with parts of AT’s camp curriculum. AT will be sending out activity kits to households across the region prior to the face-to-face camp. Our preliminary plan to implement this texting application will be to facilitate AT’s goal to collect and share 2-3 items that youth can submit via the application. For example, if a youth wants to share a picture representing a community value of Hunter Success, they and their family can follow a simple procedure to opt-in to the option to submit the image to AT by texting the image to a dedicated phone number. Or, a youth can ask an Elder if it is ok for them to record them telling a story about their own youth, wherein the youth and their family can follow a simple procedure to opt-in to the option to submit the audio recording to AT by calling the dedicated phone number.

We’ll be sure to update our progress here.