Washington Trust for Historic Preservation Hosts New Summer Youth Heritage Program

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation invites 45 high school students and five teachers to participate in Discover Washington: Youth Heritage Project.  The Youth Heritage Project is a four-day, hands-on interactive field-school taking place at Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island, July 16-19, 2013.  Ebey’s Landing is the nation’s first Historical Reserve, integrating historic farms, a seaside town, native and pioneer land use traditions and ecologically significant areas Discover Washington: Youth Heritage Project provides an opportunity for participants to experience how preservation and conservation works in the real world.  Students and teachers will work with farmers, historians, community stakeholders and hosting organizations as they delve into the working landscape of Ebey’s Landing.  Activities for participants include working on preservation projects, harvesting mussels in Penn Cove, and partnering with a local chef to create a meal with locally grown food.  This exciting program will expand the participant’s knowledge of preservation, conservation, agriculture, the built environment and rural commerce.  Over the course of the four-day-program, students will develop preservation and conservation strategies that they will then present to professionals and community stakeholders in the Ebey’s community. The overall goal of the program is to inspire the next generation of preservation and environmental leaders to become stewards of Washington State’s unique historic and natural resources.  Participants will be encouraged to take what they have experienced and look for opportunities for preservation and conservation in their own communities. “We are thrilled to offer this exciting program to students throughout Washington State,” says Washington Trust Executive Director Jennifer Meisner.  “A long-standing goal of the Trust has been to engage young and diverse audiences in the important work of historic preservation, and this project provides the perfect opportunity.” The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and Ebey’s Landing are pleased to be partnering with the National Park Service and the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation to offer this exciting program to students and teachers throughout Washington State. Discover Washington: Youth Heritage Project builds on the success of a pilot program that the Washington Trust participated in last summer, the 2012 Washington State Youth Summit: Connecting Cultures.  Organized and planned by consultants from Colorado with major funding provided by the National Park Foundation’s American Latino Heritage Fund, the 2012 Youth Summit provided opportunities for some 30 middle and high school students and six teachers from around the state to interact with and learn about the Latino heritage of the Yakima Valley and the natural landscape of nearby Mount Rainier National Park. The deadline for applications is March 29, 2013 for teachers and April 26, 2013 for students.  Applications and information can be found on the Washington Trust’s website at http://preservewa.org/youth-heritage-project.aspx.  Please contact Anne Holland at the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation at aholland@preservewa.org or 206-624-9449 if you have any questions.