NPS ENCOURAGES YOUTH SUMMITS IN "TEACHING WITH HISTORIC PLACES"

The National Park Service is pleased to announce its new Teaching with Historic Places website on Youth Summits located here. Youth Summits engage students in onsite learning and in real-world management and policy issues in ways that could benefit many organizations. The new TwHP website offers a step-by-step How-To Guide for people and institutions interested in organizing their own Youth Summits, resources for planning summits, sample agendas and other information. Here is a Youth Summits Flyer. Youth Summits provide exciting learning experiences for both students and professionals. These experiences involve students in the study of historic preservation, heritage tourism, and other issues and empower students to share their ideas with leaders in these fields. Youth Summits help students become both stewards of community history and historic places and also citizens who will have a lasting impact on policy at the local, state, and national levels. Professional organizations, community leaders, educators, students, and others contribute to make Youth Summits memorable and motivational experiences for all involved. Youth Summits inspire young people to connect with history, as well as giving them opportunities to participate in preservation efforts in their communities.  These experiences encourage future generations to care about and for their heritage. Through field studies and exploratory activities, Youth Summits provide interactive, outcome-driven learning experiences and service opportunities to advance youth engagement and knowledge in history, archeology, heritage tourism, conservation, and preservation. TwHP uses places listed in the National Register of Historic Places to enhance traditional classroom instruction and also facilitates collaboration among professionals in subject-matter disciplines, historic preservation, and education. The TwHP website includes a series of on-line lesson plans, professional development materials, information for using historic preservation in service learning activities, and other resources. The National Park Service suggests that  you consider partnering with other organizations to sponsor, plan, and conduct a Youth Summit. We hope that you will find the newly posted Youth Summit web resources helpful in doing so. Please recommend the website to your colleagues, as well. Do not hesitate to contact either Carol Shull at carol_shull@nps.gov or 202.354.2234, or Beth Boland at beth_boland@nps.gov or 202-354-2238, with any questions you may have.