Teens Make History Academy Boosts Students’ Professional Skills

As I spent my high school years bussing tables at Bonanza, I fantasized about an after-school job that would challenge my mind in a way marrying ketchup bottles never could.

Luckily, for some dedicated and talented St. Louis students, their part-time job is the first step in a long and successful career. A time in their day when they jump into the role of anthropologist, historian or teacher, sharing their remarkable talents with others. Though the Missouri History Museum’s Teens Make History program, these kids are not only living history, they’re setting the foundation for their futures.

Now through November 21, the Museum is accepting applications from interested teens for its Teens Making History Academy, an eight-week museum studies workshop that provides participants the opportunity to apply for paid apprenticeships with the organization as well as unites teens from different neighborhoods with a common passion for history.

“The Teens Make History Academy gives teens the opportunity to explore museum work from the inside,” said Ellen Kuhn, Teen and Adult Interpretive Programs Coordinator for the Museum. “Most particularly, it allows teens to engage both with museum professionals and with other teens from around the St. Louis area. Museum staff lead seminars and assist students with their weekly challenges. The challenges and final capstone project are all team-based, so teens spend a lot of time working with and learning from their peers – peers that they would not necessarily get to meet otherwise.”

For the past five years, the Academy has provided free, real-world, hands-on experience for students interested in the performing arts, history and the humanities. Every Thursday, students explore a different department in the Museum, from exhibits to research to marketing. On Saturday they put what they’ve learned into action, designing their own displays or developing a promotional plan.

At the end of the series students bridge together two areas of the Museum to launch their own exhibit through their capstone project. In the past, these incredible students have researched and outlined an exhibit on St. Louis musicians and wrote, promoted and performed a historical play about the sit-ins of the Civil Rights era.

Although many students with a love for history attend the Academy specifically to boost their skills and their college applications, a number of graduates are able to transition from the workshop into a Museum apprenticeship. And this is no coffee-run-and-errands internship – apprentices dive headfirst into museum work, both behind the scenes and in the public eye to spotlight the diverse and extraordinary history of the region. From developing exhibit components to conducting oral history interviews to coordinating community programs, apprentices pave the way for their own career paths.

But no matter their reason for participating, the benefits for students are significant. Explained Kuhn,  “In both the Academy and the long-term apprenticeships in Teens Make History, we strive to help students build key professional skills like responsibility, cooperation, creatively, self-confidence, flexibility, and communication skills. These skills are vital to any future endeavor or work setting.”

The Teens Make History Academy is open to teens in their sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. The workshops run from January 17, 2015 to Saturday, 7, 2015, and participants meet at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Boulevard, on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To apply, visit www.mohistory.org/TMH/apply or contact Kuhn at 314-746-4436.