Archiving Our Stories: Engaging Rural Youth in Exploring Their Heritage
University-Wide Instructional Program
CSU Libraries
Larimer
County
(San Miguel)
- 4-H & Youth
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
4-H & Youth
Other Topics:
Community & Economic Development, Agriculture, Food Systems, DEI
Lead Mentor:
Linda Meyer
Associate Professor / Archivist, Agricultural and Natural Resources Archive
Internship Overview:
The story of the San Miguel Basin is rooted in agriculture, fairs, and rodeos as well as indigenous and Latinx/Hispanic traditions. Although local organizations (Log Cabin Historical Museum, Norwood and Telluride Historical Museum, and San Miguel County Historical Commission) have done much to preserve the region’s rich heritage, many aspects of rural history remain hidden or undocumented. An oral history project to interview community elders, who might also share diaries, photographs, letters, and artifacts for a community-based exhibit, would bring some of this rural history into view.
The West End District of San Miguel County consists of families deeply involved in ranching traditions and includes Native American and Latinx/Hispanic families. The young people in this community have a strong connection to the land, often helping with daily ranch work, learning about best farming and livestock practices, and taking part in cattle drives. However, many lack wider educational opportunities and paths for personal and professional growth beyond ranching. The Extension 4-H program, serving young individuals of San Miguel County for over a century, can offer opportunities to develop skills in writing, interviewing, archival research, event design and hosting, record-keeping, and public history preservation and access.
The West End District of San Miguel County consists of families deeply involved in ranching traditions and includes Native American and Latinx/Hispanic families. The young people in this community have a strong connection to the land, often helping with daily ranch work, learning about best farming and livestock practices, and taking part in cattle drives. However, many lack wider educational opportunities and paths for personal and professional growth beyond ranching. The Extension 4-H program, serving young individuals of San Miguel County for over a century, can offer opportunities to develop skills in writing, interviewing, archival research, event design and hosting, record-keeping, and public history preservation and access.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
Internship goals: provide the intern with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in communication, rural community and youth engagement, archival research, oral history collection and access, and historical preservation.
After developing their own proficiency in archival research and oral history collection, the intern will support and assist in the training of San Miguel County 4-H youth to conduct oral histories with community elders. Travel to San Miguel County for a period of one to two weeks is expected in mid to late June or early July. Housing in San Miguel County will be provided.
After developing their own proficiency in archival research and oral history collection, the intern will support and assist in the training of San Miguel County 4-H youth to conduct oral histories with community elders. Travel to San Miguel County for a period of one to two weeks is expected in mid to late June or early July. Housing in San Miguel County will be provided.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The intern will work with 4-H youth supervised by 4-H volunteers as well as long-time community members, local historians, and history institutions identified by the mentors.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
By the end of the internship, the intern will have facilitated oral history training with 4-H youth, developed communication skills related to building relationships with young people and community elders, collected and preserved interviews, created transcripts and metadata for adding oral histories to a digital repository, and contributed to a public or digital history project involving community members, local historians, and history institutions.
