Dear Maple Valley Neighbor,
You are cordially invited to participate in a project we are calling The Maple Valley Pandemic Story Project.
Through a modest grant from Humanities Washington, we are collecting stories from people, like you, in the Maple Valley community about their connection to our community and how their lives changed; how they pivoted and adapted during the coronavirus pandemic years (2020 to present).
There are 26 questions that can be previewed at the bottom of this invitation. They are prompts organized chronologically to help you remember experiences and decisions you may have made. Please look over the questions and see if there are any that resonate or have personal meaning to you. The last question gives you the opportunity to tell your own story. If you choose to participate, please continue to the digital questionnaire and answer the first two bio questions, and then page through and enter your responses to the several questions you have chosen. If you chose to participate, select your participation preference at the end of the questionnaire.
Here is the link to our questionnaire: https://forms.gle/Qi6u%gyF6PybpKmX6
We plan to read written responses and then contact a group of people who are willing to make in-person recordings of their stories. The current plan is to have text and in person recordings professionally edited, archived and displayed in public spaces. We hope to add the expertise of a local audio visual company who are Tahoma graduates. Please respond within 14 days if you are interested in participating in this project and state your interview format preference, i.e. written, in-person voice-only recording, video taped interview, or Zoom recording. If you chose to participate but designate anonymous your identity will be kept confidential.
As we return to public spaces and our unique community, we want to embrace interactions with others, hopefully with less need for caution. We want to look back and take note of where we have been these past two years. We think the impact of the pandemic is history worth documenting. Most importantly, we would like to hear your story. Thank you for your consideration.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ed Corrigan Krystin Lindstrom
Performing Arts Director Board Member
The Maple Valley Creative Arts Council
mvcac@comcast.net
MapleValleyArts.com
—-------------------------------------------------------------------
A Preview Of MVCAC’s Pandemic Stories Survey Questions:
1. What is your connection to Maple Valley? How long have you lived here? What do you like/dislike? How connected to MV do you feel- would you like to live somewhere else or are you ok continuing to live here indefinitely?
2. Are there some favorite places you go/use in Maple Valley? Are there some favorite things you do in MV? Examples include: visiting with neighbors; going to Maple Valley Days, the park, Lake Wilderness Arboretum, school play fields, sports centers, grocery stores, library, bike and hiking trails, Maple Valley Farmers' Market, restaurants, gyms etc.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPERIENCES TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC?
On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease Outbreak and Governor Jay Inslee ordered a statewide school closure to slow the spread of Covid-19.
3. Do you remember what you were doing and thinking on this day? How did you respond?
4. How was the pandemic discussed and or handled with your family, friends, school, work, community, church?
5. In the beginning how did you connect with people? Family? Friends? Colleagues? Teachers?
6. Did you stay in? What did you do or how did you pass the time?
7. If you went out, where did you go and what was it like?
8. What was your daily life like for you, were you affected by restrictions?
9. Did you get the virus or do you know anyone who did? So how are you or they doing? Then/now?
10. If you did not get the virus how worried are you about getting it?
11. Did your career/work life change? In what ways?
12. If you were a student how did your school life change? Do you feel like you were still learning, were there challenges, did you stay interested?
13. Did you make changes or improve your workspace, house, yard, or play spaces?
14. Did your use of technology change in terms of your work, communication with family/friends, accessing /sharing information, entertainment, attending school or assisting a family member to do so?
15. Have you become more techie? What do you feel about your use? Too much/too little/ just right?
16. Did you have to make any change of plans? Was there anything you were planning to do that you had to cancel or reschedule? Are their plans still in limbo/uncertain? Are there plans you would like to make but you don’t want to commit to yet?
17. Lots of people spent more time with their pets. Did your relationship with your pet/s change?
18. Did you miss any big events that are irreplaceable, and if so, did you just drop them or did you do something else? And, how do you feel about the substitute? – if you made one.
19. Were there other hardships you experienced that you'd care to share with us?
FAST FORWARD TO PRESENT DAY.
Some people are reflecting back on the past two years. Although there were many restrictions, frustrations and stress, perhaps some good things happened like: a scaling back in scheduling, a simpler life, more control over time, more sleep, an opportunity to learn something new, or develop better relationships with family or friends. It has also been noted that figuring things out builds resilience and self-esteem.
20. Do you have any thoughts about these or other positive effects?
21. Were there things you did that allowed you to reset your emotional attitude? Please tell us about them.
22. Have you managed in the long term to put some normality back in your life? What does that look like?
23. Looking back, is there anything you would like to do again or do differently?
24. What lifestyle changes are you keeping?
25. If you think about one year from now (into the future) what do you hope you will be doing?
LAST QUESTION
26. Do you have your own story to tell, other experiences and perspectives not addressed by the questions above?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE.