Family History for Middle School Age Youth: A Multidisciplinary Enrichment Program

Abstract

As a proponent of efforts to bring anthropology to a wider audience, especially through pre-college education, I have worked with education faculty on my own campus to expose more teachers-in-training to anthropology; organized in-service workshops for pre-college teacher; compiled and edited materials for pre-college teachers and for interested anthropologists (see "For Further Reading"); and urged our professional organizations to provide more support services for pre-college teachers. Since 1985 I have been exploring yet another approach—working directly with pre-college youth in a summer program and academic year follow-up activities. Intensive, and therefore time-consuming, often tiring, and sometimes frustrating, the experience has nevertheless been are warding one. Such direct contact with youth—and with associated parents, teachers, school administrators, and community resource persons—can provide anthropologists with a means to influence education and to enhance the image of anthropology—a means compatible, moreover, with most academic careers.