The Project

Stories of Our City collects and shares true stories from real people around the world in an effort to increase peace through a better understanding of one another. We produce these stories to reveal that our everyday experiences with family, love, religion, and culture are often similar to those of others living in cities and villages across the globe. We believe that when we share and celebrate a common humanity, we can begin to erase the boundaries and labels that divide us.

 

So, take a listen to our storytellers recount a bit about their lives—a lost wallet returned, a brother’s disastrous wedding day, a photographer’s illegal break-in to steal the perfect shot—and think about whether they’re really so different than your own experiences.

 

These stories take the form of free weekly podcasts, most between 5-10 minutes each. You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or click on the Stories tab below to hear all of the stories.

 

The People

Katy Gilbert is based in Beirut, Lebanon, and chases people down on the street to record their stories. She is currently focused on collecting stories in the Middle East and works with partners to expand the collection to reflect contributions from around the world.

 

After completing her master’s degree focusing on Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Studies, Katy studied Arabic in Amman, Jordan. She then moved to Lebanon to see how she could help existing NGOs promote peace. One day, while listening to a podcast, Katy noticed that hearing someone’s story changed the opinion she initially held about the person—for the better. It hit her that there was a need, especially in areas of conflict, for people to understand each other better if they were to move forward with peace efforts. The Stories of Our City project was born soon after.

 

The other half of Stories of Our City is the duo of Bart and Tracy Cochran, who live in Boise, Idaho. Through their nonprofit organization Leap Charities, Bart and Tracy support Katy by fundraising, building partnerships, and otherwise gaining momentum for the Stories project. Bart and Tracy's other endeavors include hands-on volunteer work on clean water projects in Ecuador; The ReUse Market, a local nonprofit serving the Boise art and craft community; and organizing community service opportunities in Boise.

 

The Reason

Peace is never an easy thing to create or cultivate. Conflict is always complex, with multiple layers of pain, anger, and injustice for all parties involved. And most of the time, we like to label and categorize in a way that reduces these complexities. After all, if we can categorize and label the “other” as lesser, our actions can be easily rationalized so that we have the right to treat them any way we want.

 

Often in conflict, we do not want to admit that our own actions are less than perfect. Or maybe the trauma is too hard to bear if we think of the “other” as a sister, friend, and daughter “just like me.” We find it simpler to dehumanize others. We put simple labels on others, allowing us to ignore the complex line that separates good from evil within every soul, choice, or action—even our own.

 

At Stories of Our City, we believe that by sharing stories, we can help erase these divisive labels. As we do this, we celebrate the commonalities of all humanity and take the first steps toward living peacefully with each other. When we take the time to listen, we recognize the “other” as human, giving us the foundation for peace. Thanks for joining this journey to peace with us.

 

Read more about how we came to this philosophy and the research behind the project. Or listen to Chimamanda Adichie talk about the Danger of a Single Story. Note: we've never met Chimamanda, but we think she is cool. She has done a wonderful job explaining why we need to listen to each other’s stories—and there’s no point re-inventing the wheel, right?

The people behind Stories of Our City love to partner and share. We would love for you to use the stories that you find on the website to further understanding and peace in your corner of the world. So feel free to use these stories—please just remember to tell people where you found them.