Continuance

Continuance Spring / Summer 2003

Students Attend Workshop to Plan Strategies for Saving Family History

Saving Our Stories Workshop

"Could you sit next to someone you don't know?" asked Pat Bearden and Yolanda Simmons, family historians from the American Family History Institute. Once the students were acquainted, Bearden and Simmons, shared their family story and their research on finding their ancestors. Next, the group divided into pairs to
interview each other and to tell their stories about famous and infamous relatives. The workshop gave everyone a chance to talk about the "skeletons" in their closet. Last, each group prepared suggestions on how they could promote the telling of
family stories in their schools and communities.

Recommendations from the SOS workshop

1. Document pictures with dates and names of family members.
2. Record stories while elders can help you understand.
3. Interview older people in nursing homes: interview teachers.
4. Take lots of pictures.
5. Hold an Art Contest to find the oldest picture, painting, and drawing.
6. Have a Family Fair or Family Days to tell stories.
7. Participate in local history fairs.
8. Invite grandparents to schools to share stories. Observe grandparents day in September.
10. Get an older person to substitute for kids who don't have grandparents.
11. Write in your journals.

 


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