“We have an amazing surprise for you!” My grandparents exclaimed exuberantly.
I immediately perked up from my rapid pancake consumption and nudged my sister. I was 13 years old; my little sister and I were staying with my grandparents while the rest of our family was out of town. I was so excited! Thrilled, my sister and I abandoned our pancakes, rushed to change out of our pajamas, and headed out the door! Grandma first drove to the bank where she picked up a wad of cash. I thought, “Wow!!! This activity must be really fun if we need that much cash!” We drove through Salt Lake City and neared Seven Peaks Waterpark. “Yes!” I thought. “This is gonna be so fun! I didn’t pack a swimsuit but we’ll figure that out when we get there!” My anticipation grew as I waited to turn into the parking lot. But then we drove PAST IT. At first I was confused, but then I figured we must be doing something even more exciting than a waterpark if we skipped over it. “What could it be?” I wondered. We continued driving until my grandparents pulled into a cemetery and told us to get out of the car. My grandparents walked us over to a headstone and proudly announced, “This is your great, great, great Grandmother!”… …………………………………………….. “Woop-de-do” I thought. They told us some facts about when great, great, great Grandmother was born, died, and where she lived. It wasn’t until we were driving away that I had a disappointing realization. “Wait a minute, THAT was the awesome activity?!” I do not share this story out of disrespect or to complain, but rather to illustrate a principle: The importance of connection. In my RootsTech presentation, I identified three keywords that summarize how to involve youth in genealogy. They are Respect. Connect. Expect. We’ve already discussed Respect so now it is time for Connect. Building or realizing a connection between yourself and your ancestors is the motivation for doing family history research. If I had known stories about my 3rd great grandmother before we went to the cemetery, I would’ve had a connection with her that would create a more fulfilling experience. Through the lense of teenagers and genealogy, connecting can be done in many different ways. In the following weeks I will be writing about connecting through various hobbies, heirlooms, stories, mobile apps, etc… Keep an eye out for those posts. I am excited to share practical and hands-on ideas with you!
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AuthorHi! I’m Sydney Orton. I am 18 years old and I love genealogy! I’ve been doing it for 7 years now and love sharing my passion with others. In my free time, I enjoy musical theatre, cooking, and kayaking. Archives
October 2018
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