Capture Family Stories and Memories: Top Storyworth Alternatives in Canada

In today's fast-paced world, preserving family memories has become more important than ever. In the US, Storyworth® has gained meaningful popularity as an easy way to capture the memories and stories of a loved one through their email-based collection methodology. Each week, a new prompt is emailed to a loved one. At the end of a year, responses to these prompts are compiled into a book of stories designed to be passed across generations. 

This article explores the best Storyworth alternatives available to Canada.

Context: Why Preserving Family Stories Matters

From the vibrant cities of Toronto and Vancouver to the vast expanses of the Canadian wilderness, family stories are the threads that weave together our national tapestry. Preserving these stories is more than just a sentimental exercise; it's a vital link to our past and a guidepost for future generations. Family narratives provide context to our personal identities, helping us understand our roots and the journeys that brought us to where we are today.

Specifically, the process of documenting family stories:

• Strengthens family bonds: Fosters closer connections and understanding, enhancing familial relationships and support networks. (Learn more)
• Builds resilience in children: Learning about family stories, including past challenges and triumphs, can help children develop resilience by understanding the strength and perseverance demonstrated by previous generations. (Learn more)
• Supports enhanced cognitive function: Recalling and narrating stories engages memory and cognitive processes, potentially improving mental acuity and memory retention. (Learn more)
• Spurs validation and affirmation: Receiving acknowledgment and appreciation for one's life story can bolster self-esteem and confidence. (Learn more)
• Reduces feelings of isolation: Engaging with family through storytelling can alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation, promoting a sense of belonging. (Learn more)

By capturing these stories, we not only honor the experiences of our elders but also create a legacy of resilience, wisdom, and shared values that can inspire and guide our children and grandchildren. 

Remento: A Leading Storyworth Alternative to Canadians

Remento has emerged as a top choice for families in Canada excited about the prospect of preserving stories, but who find the prospect of writing them all down intimidating. Remento makes it easy to document the memories of a loved one without them having to write a single word. Their AI-enabled platform turns recordings of precious memories into a book of written stories, full of QR codes that link to the original recordings.

Each week, Remento storyteller's receive a new story prompt in their inbox. Unlike Storyworth, prompts can be customized by anyone in the family and include either a photo or question from the Remento question bank. The storyteller is invited to record their spoken response right from any smartphone, tablet, or computer - no downloads, logins, or passwords required. The recordings of these reflections are then processed by Remento’s Speech-To-Story™ technology and turned into beautifully written stories. These written stories are shared across the family each week and ultimately printed into a hardcover color-printed book, featuring QR codes that link to the original recordings when scanned.

Unlike Storyworth, Remento makes the preservation of family stories a shared family experience - not an isolated homework assignment. The product makes it easy to invite an entire family to participate in the exploration of a loved one's stories each week - asking questions, voting on prompts, adding photos, and sharing personalized reactions.

Whether used to document memories of grandpa’s childhood or capture the memories of his granddaughter’s first year as they unfold, Remento helps families preserve their memories like never before.

Remento vs. Storyworth: Key Differences for Canadians

While both Remento and Storyworth aim to help families capture their stories, Remento sets itself apart in several ways:

• No writing for them: Remento turns spoken reflections into written stories. They just press record on any device and start talking – no downloads or logins required. 
• No tedious editing for you: Enjoy a transcription of the memory, or let Remento transform the recording into a written narrative - that means to time-consuming copy-editing.
• Learn about old photos: Remento lets you go beyond generic questions and collect memories about old photos - not just add them to existing stories.
• Invite family to help select prompts: Select prompts by polling family and friends. Chose from Remento’s library of expert-written questions, or write them yourself.
• Print memories in a full-color keepsake book: Remento prints all photos and stories in a beautifully bound hardcover book, featuring color-printed pages - no additional cost.
• Scan the book to hear each recording: Scan the QR code on any page of the book to play the original recording.

Learn more about the differences between Remento and Storyworth

Remento Reviews from Canadians

• "I love doing my stories, and look forward to every Wednesday for another prompt. It’s so nice to be able to leave something of myself that the family will be able to look back on. It is the best Christmas present my Grandchildren ever gave me." - Christine L. (Melbourne)
• “I loved how easy it was to share my stories with my family, including those who live overseas.” - Sasha R. (Perth)
• "“He is like a kid at Christmas. Every time he gets One of the emails he runs to the computer. And then he talks about it for the next two days and asks for more prompts." - Jeff M. (Montreal)
• “When my dad is no longer with us, my grandkids will be able to scan that QR code and see their pop pop laugh and tell those crazy stories.” - Dyan G. (Canbera)

Read more Remento reviews

My Family Story: A DIY Webinar Approach

My Family Story is a free webinar series that will help you capture your family history and life stories. My Family Story is a joint project written by The Armchair Genealogist, and sponsored by Gardens of Gethsemani and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. The program is offered as part of the Archdiocesan Priorities and Goals to strengthen marriages and families. It is also the hope to encourage older family members to engage in meaningful conversations on topics of passing on Christian values and end-of-life preparation.

Stories To Be Told: Professional Interviewing

Stories To Be Told is focused on recording and preserving family histories through personalized interviews. They guide clients through the process of capturing meaningful stories, starting from setup and scheduling to conducting and professionally editing interviews. The service is structured to be accessible, allowing participation over various digital devices and accommodating multiple participants in the recording session. The company emphasizes the ownership of the recordings, granting copyright to the interviewee, while continuing to develop their question sets for future projects. They also provide options to receive the recordings digitally or via USB, ensuring flexibility and convenience for clients.

Legacy Productions Canada: Boutique Interviewing

Legacy Productions Canada is a boutique company dedicated to preserving personal and family history. Specializing in audio, video, and multimedia production, they help individuals and groups capture significant stories that can be cherished as lasting legacies. Their services cater not only to individuals but also to businesses and organizations, offering customized packages such as Voice Portraits and Video Portraits. By collaborating closely with their clients, they provide personalized story preservation and coaching to ensure high-quality productions that reflect each client’s unique narrative.

Founded by award-winning documentarian Peter Sibbald, the company operates out of the Greater Toronto Area. Sibbald brings over 30 years of experience in mainstream media, having worked with prominent organizations like TIME Inc. and Canadian Geographic. Legacy Productions aims to relieve clients of the challenges associated with documenting their histories, ensuring their signature stories are preserved with pride. Sibbald’s expertise in sound and motion picture is leveraged to provide comprehensive multimedia storytelling services for a wide range of audiences, from individuals to small and mid-sized businesses.

Conclusion: A gift for the future

Preserving your family's memories is a priceless gift to future generations. With these Storyworth alternatives, Canadians have excellent options to capture their unique stories and experiences. Whether you choose Remento for its user-friendly approach and beautiful books or one of the local, white-glove memoir services, the most important thing is to start preserving your family's legacy today.