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?

Naomi Shihab Nye headshot

Naomi Shihab Nye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNVXZ62kHQ This week we bring you award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye from San Antonio, Texas. Naomi was one of the distinguished poets featured in our “Voices: Beyond Water and Walls” Poetry & BBQ in 2018. Just wait until you hear how much she values our foundation…

Peggy Ann Tartt headshot

Peggy Ann Tartt

https://youtu.be/AfC_lF97EWw Peggy Ann Tartt reads her poem “Broken” from Cutthroat: a Journal of the Arts. This week we bring you Peggy Ann Tartt from New York City. Peggy was one of our distinguished poets featured in our “Voices: Beyond Water and Walls” Poetry & BBQ in…

Laurel Blossom headshot

Laurel Blossom

https://youtu.be/2Cfo2FojqvY We are delighted to continue our poetic missives to you with wonderful recordings from all over the country from our beloved Poetry & BBQ poets. What an amazing way to connect with one another through words. Today we are…

Alice Friman headshot

Alice Friman

https://youtu.be/n5-G8XqZVCw Alice Friman reads her poem “Snow” with an introduction from Sean Sexton. A beautiful reading by Alice Friman, one of our previous “Daughters of Eve”. To find out more about Alice, click here.

Andy Hedges headshot

Andy Hedges

https://youtu.be/QJTwhkern2c A poem from lovely Eagles Nest, New Mexico. Andy Hedges reads “The Bronco” by Captain Jack Crawford from Eagles Nest, New Mexico. To find out more about Andy, click here.