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?

Marie Stiefel and Joanne Mitchell smiling

Marie Stiefel to be Recognized as Philanthropy Leader

Marie Stiefel, President of the Board of our Foundation, has been selected as a Philanthropy Leader by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Indian River. Marie has been inspirational and tireless in her advocacy for our Foundation. Without her, the…

Keeping the Arts Alive logo

Keeping the Arts Alive Poetry Reading

Join us at the Raw Space Gallery on Saturday, November 14 from 2 pm – 5 pm. Hear from our Tuesday Writers, Porch Poets, and our Poet Laureate Sean Sexton. Stick around for the open mic section at 5 pm…

Beautiful Morning: Music and Poetry Event

Beautiful Morning: Music and Poetry Event

On Thursday November 12 at 11am at the Community Church of Vero Beach, Sean Sexton will read poetry along with music performed by Rochelle Sallee (piano) and Rachel Carter (soprano) for the 37th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. For more information,…

dummy-img

Protected: Board Monday Update – October 26, 2020

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password:

Michael Hettich headshot

Michael Hettich

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPSstE_4_8s&feature=youtu.be Michael Hettich joins us from Black Mountain, North Carolina to read his poem “Ghost Trees.” Michael was one of our first Poetry and BBQ poets at our “In a Southerly Light” event in 2010 with fellow poets Sean Sexton…