Red Deer’s branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society is looking to engage youth in tracing their family history by reaching out to high-school students.
Sonya Miller, Alberta Genealogical Society Red Deer branch president, is working to educate youth about researching their family tree and their history. The project is made possible with use of a Canada 150 grant.
The society has embarked on a youth project to find youth interested in their family history and help them get the tools they need to get started.
She started recruiting youth to join the project on Tuesday at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. She set up a booth as part of a school wide initiative to get its students information on local organizations.
“It’s about introducing people to a little bit about how they can research their family trees and some of the techniques they can do,” said Miller.
Researching a family’s history, she said, can help people know where they came from, even through tracing the origins of a family heirloom or tradition or recipe.
“Imagine this history in all that, why is it something that is important to your family,” said Miller. “Getting people to think about where these things came from, how it was passed down, should I continue to do that? Why is it always there?”
She talked about the idea of tracing the origins of the family heirloom, seeing where it came from and how it arrived.
“Was there a challenge for them to bring it here, and what’s the importance to the family now,” said Miller. “It’s thinking a little more about things you see every day or every year, but what’s the history behind that.”
Miller said, the Red Deer Public Library has books that can help people get started. As well the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 3002 47th Ave., has a family history library which also has tools to find someone’s history.
For more information and to find out how to get involved visit www.abgenealogy.ca or email rdbags@gmail.com.
mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com
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