The Oral History interview training on May 23 is carried out by Sprekende Geschiedenis (Speaking History), the national hub in the Netherlands for oral history, connecting people, stimulating dissemination, and developing expertise to keep history alive. The organizers, the Arab-West Foundation, the Mor Ephrem Monastery, the Suryoyo Media Foundation and the Be Shao Syriac Foundation cooperate with Sprekende Geschiedenis to stimulate dialogue between the older generation who mostly came as refugees to the Netherlands and the younger generation that knows little about the lives of parents and grandparents in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. This is urgent since many first-generation migrants have already passed away and with them stories are lost. Once trained, participants will conduct interviews with the older generation in the coming months.

The Suryoyo community, also known as Syriacs, hopes this project will become the basis for a Suryoyo Archive and Documentation Center. The Suryoye are one of the oldest nations in the Middle East with pride in their Aramaic language heritage. Therefore, on May 31 they organize a free poetry evening open to everyone, with free coffee, tea and Suryoyo snacks.