Volunteers Needed for Youth Genealogy Program – Ancestral Project 2012

Pat Gallagher and Nicka Smith, two of the newest CGS board members, have put out a call for volunteers for Ancestral Project 2012 – the East Bay genealogy youth program that will run from February to June 2012.  Nicka is the Ancestral Project manager and she is inviting California Genealogical Society members to participate.

I wrote last year about the program created by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson that helps youth learn the value of knowing one’s family history and the skills needed to discover it. The program began in 2011 and included three sites where more than fifty youth were assisted, mentored, and supported by Supervisor Carson’s staff and volunteers from the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC) and the Oakland California Family History Center. 2011’s program was primarily focused on African-American genealogy research.

The Ancestral Project 2012 will expand to include youth from the Asian-American and Jewish-American communities, as well as youth in the Weekend Training Academy, a program of Alameda County’s Youth Probation Department. The California Genealogical Society is requesting that its members volunteer to be part of the 2012 project. Volunteering can be done in the following ways:

• Assist with teaching classes to youth;
• Attend one of the weekly workshops as support; or
• Attend one of the research trips to the Oakland Family History Center

Volunteers typically spend two hours per week, once or twice a month. It is preferable that volunteers are able to make a commitment for the full four months. One-time opportunities are also available. Volunteers will have the opportunity to attend an orientation session in early February to learn more about the goals of the project and expected outcomes.

The session dates are (choose one):
Monday, February 13, 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. or Thursday, February 16, 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.at the Oakland Family History Center, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, California

If you have any questions regarding volunteering or about the program, please email Ancestral Project Manager Nicka Smith or call 650-906-1145.

For more about Ancestral Project 2012, please visit the AAGSNC website for blog posts, photos, and news coverage.


Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library