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?

It’s Time for our 3rd Annual Author Speaker Fundraiser!

It’s Time for our 3rd Annual Author Speaker Fundraiser!

It’s time for our big annual January event!  Following in the footsteps of Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry, this year we’re thrilled that Scott Turow …

New Membership Programs

New Membership Programs

We are excited to share new opportunities and expanded programming this year at LRJF! Based on member feedback, PRISM, a new membership option, will offer …

Enjoy a Short Reading

Enjoy a Short Reading

The American Scholar, the quarterly magazine published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, brought this reading of Laura’s poem to its website visitors last week …

Two new Writing Groups – One for Students and One for Adults!

Two new Writing Groups – One for Students and One for Adults!

To meet the ever-growing demand for participation in our writing groups, we’re excited to announce that we’re starting a second evening group for adults and …

We’re “Popping Up” One More Time This Summer

We’re “Popping Up” One More Time This Summer

The first two summer “pop-ups” were great fun, attended by LRJF veterans and newcomers alike. Join us for the 3rd and final one of this …