The National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is seeking applications from interested youth, aged 10-18, for the national park’s 2014-15 Living History Schools, including the acclaimed Young Engagé School and the Dame School.
Applications are due to the park by 5 p.m. on Oct. 1. Application information can be found online at: http://go.usa.gov/p5VW . A maximum of 16 students will be selected for each program.
Fort Vancouver’s flagship Youth Volunteer Programs are the Young Engagé School and the Dame School, both designed for youth aged 10-18 years old. These two interacting tracks share resources that train youth in providing historic interpretation, demonstrating skills from the past, and speaking to the public.
Both training pathways are modeled after historic schools and other ways in which youth learned and developed skills at the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Fort Vancouver in the 1840s.
The goals of the schools are for students to:
• Acquire knowledge about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site history, archaeology, and museum collections.
• Foster stewardship for our nation’s history and cultural and natural treasures.
•Learn about everyday life in the nineteenth century jointly-occupied Oregon Country, including social history, etiquette and life skills.
• Develop hands-on skills in costumed and basic interpretation (including public speaking and information sharing).
• Gain practical experience in cultural demonstrations, programs, events, and offsite presentations.
The program begins in November 2014 and ends in June 2015. It will be held at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, 612 East Reserve St., Vancouver. For more information, go to http://go.usa.gov/p5VW.
