The Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation has partnered with the Gifford Historical Museum and Cultural Center to help teens learn the process of interviewing members of the community and documenting their stories. Teens Listen: An Oral History Project is a project that engages students in our community in an experience that will develop skills of interviewing and listening by recording the significant views adults have about living in this community.

We have enlisted teacher mentors in each high school to help us recruit, train, and schedule our young student interviewers. We’ll take students through the process of learning how to interview, how to document those interviews and how to reflect on what they learn in the process.

Students will produce a video of their recorded interview, which will be built into a local documentary film that shares the stories we collect, as well as written reflections, which will be published together in a physical book.

In addition to continue to interview Gifford Pioneers and women in the C-suite, we plan to add veterans, “river folk,” and others to our growing list of storytellers.

To be eligible, students must:

  • Be in 9-12th grade
  • Reside in or attend school in Indian River County

Would you like to be a part of Teens Listen?

Important Schedule Updates

Important Schedule Updates

The Historic Home is now closed for the 2023 Hurricane Season and will reopen in November. Our office/Writing Center downtown also has changed hours through Labor Day.

12th Annual Poetry & BBQ Highlights

12th Annual Poetry & BBQ Highlights

Jim May, Chelsea Rathburn, David Kirby, and Barbara Hamby visit Laura’s house after the 12th Annual Poetry & BBQ, April 22, 2023 ‘Tying the Knot: When Poets Marry” featured two married couples – Jim May & Chelsea Rathburn and David…

Meet our Summer Camp Teachers

Meet our Summer Camp Teachers

Annmarie White and Anne Powell are the dynamic duo who taught our Write in the Middle Camp in 2019 and they are back for a repeat performance! Anne Powell (left) has been teaching secondary-level social studies courses for the past…

Native Plants & Native People

Native Plants & Native People

Join us Sunday, May 7th for our final Garden program of the season. At 1pm, Janice Broda will tell us about the uses native plants have been put to in the past – and still can be today! We have…

Adult Writers Workshop

Adult Writers Workshop

Celebrate National Poetry Month by learning the craft from two celebrated poets! Barbara Hamby and David Kirby will be in town for our 12th Annual Poetry & BBQ on April 22nd. The day before, on the 21st, they will be…