The Rhode Island Historical Society Joins Smithsonian’s National Youth Summit on Gender Equity with Regional Youth Summit
Free opportunity for students & teachers to make contemporary and national connections to local history
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – The Rhode Island Historical Society is excited to announce its participation in the National Youth Summit on Gender Equity, an online outreach program organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in partnership with Smithsonian Affiliations, from September 21 through October 12.
Designed for middle and high school students across the country, this year’s topic will allow youth to examine gender equity and efforts to fight against gender bias. Anchored by a series of diverse historical narratives addressing the fight for gender equity, the Summit will examine how the construction of gender and gendered expectations have impacted young people across time and space and how this has created deep-seated biases and inequities, while also examining ways this is complicated by race, ethnicity, and class. Guided by history, the Summit will provide a platform for teens nationwide to grapple with the enduring question ‘what will the future of gender equity look like?
Two live, Smithsonian-led events are scheduled for Tuesday, September 21, 1-4p.m. ET and Tuesday, October 12, 1-3p.m. ET. Teachers may register their classrooms for the webcast and to access free supplementary education materials for all ages at http://americanhistory.si.edu/nys. Teachers are also welcome to facilitate their own “youth summits” anytime between September 21 and October 12, using learning resources and videos provided free to all registered educators.
In addition, the Rhode Island Historical Society is one of twelve Smithsonian Affiliate organizations across the country hosting regional youth summits with local activists, scholars and youth. The RIHS program will include a local panel of experts from Girls Rock! Rhode Island, Youth Pride, Inc., and Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England and will enable young people from across Rhode Island to participate in the conversation via a live virtual program on Tuesday, September 28 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
“As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Rhode Island Historical Society is positioned to take part in this very important program for young people. We are thankful to have the resources from Smithsonian to be able to pair national speakers with our local panel of speakers in guiding students in discussions of gender equity,” said Geralyn Ducady, Director of Education, Goff Center for Education and Public Programs at the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Teachers and students are welcome to register for this regional program at https://bit.ly/3DBF62l. Regional participants will also have access to an online challenge linking to additional Rhode Island Historical Society and Smithsonian Youth Summit programs, materials, and historical resources. Participants who cannot attend the live regional program are still invited to participate in the online challenge.
The National Youth Summit is made possible by the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation K-12 Learning Endowment and is part of a larger Smithsonian initiative focused on civic engagement intended to help Americans understand the past in order to make sense of the present and to shape a more informed future.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state’s oldest and only state-wide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting, and sharing Rhode Island’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future. Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st-century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, and the Aldrich House.
The headquarters of the Rhode Island Historical Society are located at 110 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906. Information: (401) 331-8575. Website: rihs.org. Follow the RIHS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Smithsonian Affiliations
Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums, educational, and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. The long-term goal of Smithsonian Affiliations is to facilitate a two-way relationship among Affiliate organizations and the Smithsonian Institution to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. More information about the Smithsonian Affiliations program and Affiliate activity is available at www.affiliations.si.edu.
About the National Museum of American History
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum, located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, is open Friday through Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and timed-entry passes are no longer required. The doors of the museum are always open online and the virtual museum continues to expand its offerings, including online exhibitions, K–12 educational materials and programs.
The public can follow the museum on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu.
For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.