Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Gen Z - Young people and genealogy

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #21
    I have been trying to get the conversation going and I do not necessarily feel what I have written, I've just thrown out questions.

    Much of what has been said on the thread highlights how the Gen Z group are feeling. They may be a small number but they do want to be involved but feel left out and it's expensive.

    I have managed to find a transcript of the Really Useful Show talk by Janet Few on her website - it isn't word for word as she amplified her headings with comments e.g. they don't necessarily use the "traditional" social media as used by older genealogists. Discord, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter all get mentioned.

    Really Useful Show talk by Janet Few Genealogy: the Next Generation

    If you can still login to the Really Useful Show via your free Friday or paid ticket, there is transcript of the discussion held after Janet's talk.

    PODCAST: Family History Federation ~Series 1 Episode 2: Young People

    NEXT FRIDAY: #Genealogy For All - online conference (Eventbrite)

    Caroline
    Caroline's Family History Pages
    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

    Comment


    • #22
      Originally posted by Caroline View Post
      Do any of us belong to local societies - are they welcoming for youngsters or are they set in their ways?

      Are we going to go the way of the dinosaurs?

      (I am just throwing out questions here.)
      I belong to the WI and have tried to encourage a couple of my peers to join, each of them have said aren't they all old....I have to point out that we are now in fact old so fit right in! Maybe it's a thing of groups that have existed for ages. There is no doubt that most are retirement age and above, as for us women we now have time, when you are working with a family it's hard to find time for anything on a regular basis, people don't want to commit.

      I remember my son going to scout camp and I spent the weekend searching through all the records that were just coming on line - it was the first time that I could start searching and without travelling to records office etc it could mean I could get somewhere. So now that there are so many records on line, rather than just transcriptions, that's got to be the thing to follow through, and 1 sub and all the free stuff out there could keep you going for a long time.

      wdytya have youngsters I wonder if that encourages them. Josh and Pixie had 2 very different outcomes as well which was nice to see, I assume they talk about their experiences on social media?
      Carolyn
      Family Tree site

      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

      Comment


      • #23
        Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post


        wdytya have youngsters I wonder if that encourages them. Josh and Pixie had 2 very different outcomes as well which was nice to see, I assume they talk about their experiences on social media?
        Joe Sugg, another high profile youngster is next.

        Comment


        • #24
          Originally posted by Jill on the A272 View Post

          Joe Sugg, another high profile youngster is next.
          that must help raise the profile a bit.
          Carolyn
          Family Tree site

          Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
          Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

          Comment


          • #25
            I attended a Zoom talk on Friday about this and at I spotted at least one other member, there may have been others who use nicknames on the site. There was also another talk yesterday which I couldn't go to - there will be another one via the Guild of ONS coming up.
            The discussion on Friday was wide ranging and there were attendees from USA, NZ, Australia and the UK.
            It was four breakout groups of 10/15 minutes or so each with feedback in between, each time a diferentish group and so it is hard to report back but the issues discussed were very much those in Janet Few's talk. The "discussions" were too short as we had to introduce ourselves of course each time and it wasn't always possible for everyone in a group to put across their point in the time.
            At one point I was firmly told in a breakout group that "the younger ones don't like text based forums" but I did try to put across their usefulness. One of the groups I was in concentrated on the stereotyping forced on us by the software programmes both desktop and online, Discord was constantly being pushed in the main sessions.
            (Oh, and the in-laws of one of the people in my first group, who is in Australia, live near me, I know where they live but not who they are as we got cut off. )
            Caroline
            Caroline's Family History Pages
            Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

            Comment


            • #26
              One thing we didn't do during lockdown as FTF was to use Zoom to talk, though many of us used it and still do for conferences and online talks- maybe we could make more of this by having more collaborative groups, but talking alongside/instead of writing?
              Maybe regular "coffee" and chat?
              Maybe it already goes on, but behind the scenes?

              Hampshire HGS is about to start monthly Zoom meetings for their out of country members.

              We do have an international membership, but perhaps we could do more specifically to find non-UK residents and helpers with non-UK based research?

              How can we get the new members to feel more welcome, encourage them to join in ..... and then stay?

              Caroline
              Caroline's Family History Pages
              Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

              Comment


              • #27
                I am happy to have a chat from time to time, depending how many of us Zoom might not be best option I think after 40 minutes or is it 50 it closes down if more than 2 people. I use messenger generally (you do need to just have a FB account though), and have used WhatsApp too
                Carolyn
                Family Tree site

                Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                Comment


                • #28
                  Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post
                  I am happy to have a chat from time to time, depending how many of us Zoom might not be best option I think after 40 minutes or is it 50 it closes down if more than 2 people. I use messenger generally (you do need to just have a FB account though), and have used WhatsApp too
                  Our Zentangle group meets for an hour and a half and when we get thrown off we just use the original link and carry on, I and another member couldn’t get straight back in last time but rejoined eventually. But not usually an issue - we also use WhatsApp for messages and sharing our work between. I find that irritating but they didn’t want to know about FB. They are usually about 20 of us.

                  Caroline
                  Caroline's Family History Pages
                  Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                  Comment


                  • #29
                    Originally posted by Caroline View Post
                    How can we get the new members to feel more welcome, encourage them to join in ..... and then stay?
                    Could we not resurrect WDWYTY idea that we used to run?

                    I'm not a 'chatty' person naturally, I tend to sit in the sidelines and listen more than comment. Not sure how much I'd scare folks to death if they could see me..
                    probably put them off for life!..

                    General chat always seems to be busy, but research advice seems to lag at times.

                    not sure what the answer is.
                    Julie
                    They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

                    .......I find dead people

                    Comment


                    • #30
                      Originally posted by Darksecretz View Post

                      Could we not resurrect WDWYTY idea that we used to run?

                      I'm not a 'chatty' person naturally, I tend to sit in the sidelines and listen more than comment. Not sure how much I'd scare folks to death if they could see me..
                      probably put them off for life!..

                      General chat always seems to be busy, but research advice seems to lag at times.

                      not sure what the answer is.
                      You can always hide behind an avatar👍😀
                      Caroline
                      Caroline's Family History Pages
                      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                      Comment


                      • #31
                        I met up with my daughter who is training to be a librarian, and ran this past her. She has just turned thirty. Her two main comments were that a lot of her friends, herself included, have given up on Facebook etc.They text or phone each other, and use the internet for knowledge seeking. In her age group, most of them don't have a "regular" job, but short term contracts, so money is an issue.

                        She works in an educational library, so most of the students are 19 and up. They tend to stick to their subjects and use the university/college library. She gets the impression that public libraries are felt to be there for reading novels, or old people having a coffee and a chat. Covid has not helped, as many libraries removed desks and chairs for sanitary reasons.

                        DD thought that family history should be taught in the high schools, as well as the elementary schools. It would introduce people to different cultures, histories and traditions, but more to the point, it would help them with learning to research in high school, further education and perhaps start a life long addiction to Family History.

                        My son who is a little older has four children, so time and money is tight. The 6 year old came home last week with a three generation family chart to fill in, and needed to tell a story about traditions in the family. I wrote her a letter about Guy Fawkes Night, and her Gramma lent her a hand made child's Ukrainian skirt. My son is now doing what I used to do - drip feeding the kids a little information and then to talk to Nanna(me) and see if I will show them photos.

                        My daughter said that in schools today, a lot of the work is group based. She wondered if this was a handicap?

                        bcbrit







                        George, Uren, Toy - Cornwall. Barrows, Blair, Bowyer, Freeth, Green, Manie - London

                        Comment


                        • #32
                          I think it was ever thus. When I went to Uni in 1976, I was amazed by the number of fellow students in a wide range of subjects who were panicking about having to do their own research for class work and essays especially having to find their own study materials. Many were used to being given copies of relevant text books at school and spoon fed. They hadn’t a clue how any system of classification of books worked never mind how to look up subject terms etc.
                          I had known how to do this from day one at senior secondary school because I simply went and asked the school librarian who was happy to help. We also had class visits to the library early on for guidance but most folks weren’t paying attention.
                          I discovered a love for all things library and eventually chose it for a career and did a post grad diploma.
                          Most public libraries in the UK use Dewey but there are exceptions. Edinburgh City Libraries use Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) which is more commonly found in university libraries and this was the beast that flummoxed my pals. I had a head start there as I had spent a summer working in Edinburgh before I went to uni and had a library card. Again, simply asking how does this system work did the trick. Simply going to the enquiry desk and asking a librarian turned many strapping lads into quivering wrecks such was the fearsome reputation of librarians LOL
                          Knowledge is indeed a powerful thing and I rarely needed to put my hand in my pocket down the pub such was the gratitude of many folks who wrote out their reading lists and gave me their cards and I went to go fetch. Money for old rope
                          Last edited by GallowayLass; 01-12-21, 00:14.

                          Comment


                          • #33
                            Trying to find enthusiasm in the young seems to be a common problem. OH belonged to a squash club who tried many things to get the young involved. Without them the club would fade away. They had many young players. Most disappeared in their late teens. The hope was that after they settled down from being young adults they would return to the sport. OH belongs to many car clubs. The last zoom meeting was on this very subject. How to involved the young? If they don't find new blood for the car hobby the clubs will fade away. Many of the members are retired and want to share all their experience with the young. No one in my family is interested in family trees. Why should they? They know that I've done a lot of research (most lines back to the beginning of 1700s). What more could they find (other then bringing the lines forward into the 21st Century.) We need to reach out to the young who do not have an old relation who has done the tree?
                            Donelda

                            searching for the Berkshire Hobbises, Rowles, Staniford, Rogers, Parkers, Thackhams, Gouts, LeBouviers, Heaphys and Wilsons

                            Comment


                            • #34
                              I have been following this thread with interest. Speaking with our eldest grandchildren, they do not even read newspapers, so what chance family history?

                              Just an idea. I don’t think anyone though so far has mentioned presentation. Presentation is something that I have been thinking about this year. I have been trying to improve the information/details that I recorded in my Family Tree Maker program with the ultimate aim not only reducing unnecessary paper records, improving the actual detail recorded in the Program, but also printing out a variety of information for a coffee table type book or just a few pages on an Ancestor. Hopefully something that will catch the eye and interest of the grandchildren. Anyone any ideas?

                              Another interest I have is audio visual. For my mother-in-law’s funeral/wake a few years ago I put together a video of her early years. A few photos that I had of her from the 1920’s, plus, images of some of the events that had happened in the UK during her first 21 years, and images from around the area where she grew up. An added bonus was that I finished it with a short video that I had previously recorded of my mother-in-law talking about her wedding day, during WW2, with everything rationed.

                              Okay I might not have the photos of an Ancestor but am sure there must be something I could be doing in this format to put together a 3-4 minute video that will catch the interest. I just need the spark of inspiration though!

                              Anyone any other suggestions on how they present their Family History?

                              Comment


                              • #35
                                I can't remember where I read it but someone said something that I hadn't even considered!

                                What if they do decide to get interested in FH... Granny Fanny has done all the tree, got the certs, fleshed out the bones.. what more is there that they can do?

                                I think also that the younger generation can 'google' their ancestry and bish bash bosh back to Adam and Eve.. in about 3 hours... there you go... done it.

                                not anything to do with this but it doesn't half annoy me when you get relatives say, 'Oh haven't you done that yet?'...
                                Julie
                                They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

                                .......I find dead people

                                Comment


                                • #36
                                  At the funeral I went to my cousins daughter had been looking at her dads tree, and she had then started looking at her Mums (my cousin) and another cousin piped up that I had done it, so no point in doing it. I said to her, there was always more to find, and more and more records coming, and of course it was only one line that met eg Mums sister, so plenty more. I hope that she does take up the reins as I have a load of stuff for her At least i have digitised most of it so should make it easier to share with her.
                                  Carolyn
                                  Family Tree site

                                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                  Comment


                                  • #37
                                    Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post
                                    At the funeral I went to my cousins daughter had been looking at her dads tree, and she had then started looking at her Mums (my cousin) and another cousin piped up that I had done it, so no point in doing it. I said to her, there was always more to find, and more and more records coming, and of course it was only one line that met eg Mums sister, so plenty more. I hope that she does take up the reins as I have a load of stuff for her At least i have digitised most of it so should make it easier to share with her.
                                    At what point can it ever be "done"?

                                    When I was in a position to do mine i.e I was overseas so had to do it online or from bought fiches/CDS./Floppy discs, an elderly distantish cousin had "done" my mother's direct line as far back as Aylesbury record office could take her, but not the wives! Another old cousin produced one for my grandmother's 100th birthday - done from their combined memories as he was 90 himself - and again, only their direct line. My paternal uncle had a go at his line - again only the direct lines. So I started with three small rolls of paper. All three had inaccuracies. There has been more than enough to keep me occupied since 2002 and still much more to find, even though my maternal side suffers from pedigree collapse as my grandparents are first cousins and other cousins married each other as well.
                                    Caroline
                                    Caroline's Family History Pages
                                    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                                    Comment

                                    Working...
                                    X