Wendy Rex-atzet, Utah Division of State History
PROPOSAL TYPE
Community Viewpoints
SEEKING
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
RELATED TOPICS
- Youth
- K-12 Engagement
ABSTRACT
Students who engage in active history through the National History Day (NHD) program often find powerful ways to connect to their heritage communities. Through researching topics that connect to their own families and communities, youth also explore the local and global connections at play in these histories. They often have opportunities to interview elders and other community members, and share their stories through history. Public history practitioners can support their work and foster youth engagement in history.
DESCRIPTION
We will bring together NHD youth, teachers, and other stakeholders to share their experiences and best practices for supporting NHD in your community.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: Wendy Rex-Atzet, Utah Division of State History, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 6, 2020. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
Sounds like a good idea. Will all of the participants be part of Utah’s NHD activities? It might be interesting to see if there are state differences in NHD implementation.
In addition to having other states i would also be interested in what specific other stakeholders you are interested in. I know the humanities councils worked on it but the contests were often held at universities. theirs a wide range here but perhaps that can lead to a facilitated discussions.
It also might be good to consider inviting historians who have had a long relationship with supporting National History Day from within universities and public history institutions. Some individuals that I’ve worked with who do this include:
Brian Collier at Notre Dame University – https://ace.nd.edu/directory/brian-collier-phd
Cyndi Sweet at the Iowa Museum Association – https://www.iowamuseums.org/Public/About_Us/Contact_the_IMA/Public/Contact_the_IMA.aspx
Nicholas Erickson at the Grout Museum District – https://www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/about/staff.aspx
Christi Carlson at Northern Arizona University – https://nau.edu/history-department/christi-carlson/
I’m a big fan of NHD! I would appreciate a consideration of how History Day participants engage with histories that are often difficult to discuss in classroom situations (I recall judging a presentation that focused on the history of child abuse) or use their History Day projects as part of identity formation–which may or may not be related to their heritage communities.