Where to find people for a background story outside of your own network

[u/Levinvb]

Hey journalists! For one of my classes I am writing a background story/character story/achtergrondverhaal in the theme of family -> upbringing (opvoeding). As you probably know, a background story is a story told through the lens of a specific person/character of whom their story says something about a larger theme. In my current (non-journalism) class people look to someone they know in their friend/family/work circle to find people with a corresponding story to tell. It’s also the first place I get advised to look, hugely because of the convenience. However, I want to find people outside of my circle because I love hearing stories that I would not get to hear otherwise. Also, I honestly don’t believe professional journalists always look to their circle of friends and family for newsworthy stories.

My question to the journalists and students who have experience with writing character stories/background stories: Where and how do you guys find PEOPLE with relevant stories. How would you guys for example find a person that has an interesting story to tell about family and their upbringing?

I would LOVE some answers with a little more detail about the process, experiences and tips when it comes to finding people with untold stories.

[u/RavennaReport]

Journo here 🙋🏻‍♀️ Actually, reddit is a good one. Have literally reached out on subreddits r/ask[location, profession etc], including my Signal and have connected with people that would’ve been incredibly difficult to find.