Web-based Workbook for Youth Leaders:
A Project Description

Many youth organizations promote outdoor-type activities that frequently bring both leaders and youth into contact with archaeological sites on public and private lands. Raising the awareness of the leaders and youth about the nature of archaeological resources, their significance, and their fragility can contribute to the preservation of the nation's archaeological heritage. This project will develop a training workbook on archaeological resources for youth group leaders that will contain activities designed to raise awareness and understanding as well as promote a conservation ethic. The workbook will be made available to all interested organizations and individuals via publication on the Internet's World Wide Web.

Project Description:

The target audience for this project are the leaders of youth groups such as the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of America, the Future Farmers of America, and the 4-H Club. The membership of these four organizations alone total over 12,750,000 youth. Leaders of the groups number in excess of 2,600,000. Each of these organizations has existing programs that Archaeological Resource Awareness can fit into effectively. For example, the 4-H Club has an Environmental Stewardship Program and has over 723,000 youth enrolled in Leisure and Cultural Education which includes a Cultural Heritage section. Another example, the Boy Scouts instituted an Archaeology Merit Badge in 1977 after a number of years of encouragement by members of the Society for American Archaeology and the National Park Service. While the National Park Service has undertaken important initiatives directed toward educating youth about cultural resources (the National Register's Teaching with Historic Places series, for example), none has been directed specifically to the leaders of youth groups and none has dealt exclusively with archaeological resources.

Most leaders of youth groups have not had formal training in archaeology, so the Workbook will include a general introduction to the field including the nature of archaeological resources, why these resources are important, and how and why they should be preserved. Activities --including games and simulations-- designed to demonstrate the principals of archaeological reasoning and to reinforce the need to protect the archaeological record will be adapted from lesson plans that have already proven to be successful. Projects that youth organizations can undertake to involve young people in the identification and preservation of archaeological resources will be presented, and resources available for understanding and promoting archaeological stewardship will be identified.

The workbook approach will be formulated in a manner that provides a series of exercises on critical archaeological awareness and conservation topics with appropriate background material for leaders and learning activities for youth of various age groups.

The anticipated impact of the availability of this workbook is that fewer archeological sites will be damaged inadvertently by youth in youth organizations. Awareness of the value and significance of archeological sites should also reduce the incidents of vandalism of archeological sites by youth, even after they no longer are members of the organization. The long term impact will be strengthening of the constituency that supports the preservation of archeological resources.

Workbook Available on the World Wide Web:

The training materials being developed during this project will consist of a workbook to be "published" via the World Wide Web. By making the workbook available via the Web, youth leaders across the country and in many different organizations will have ready access to the training materials. Using the World Wide Web as the medium for distribution of the training workbook will make it available free to anyone who has access to the Internet. The project team will work with youth organizations to link the Web site to youth organizations' Web pages and have the address publicized in youth organization's magazines, newsletters, and other communications at national, state, and regional levels.

Sponsoring Organizations:

The primary sponsor for the project is the Stewardship and Partnerships Team, Philadelphia Support Office, National Park Service. Cosponsors for the project are the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Society for American Archeology.

The Stewardships and Partnerships Team includes the functions of the Archeology and Ethnography Programs that are conducted in the field. The team has been active in educating youth about archeological resources.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is an independent Federal agency that provides a forum for influencing Federal policy, programs, and activities that affect historic and archaeological resources in communities and on public lands nationwide. Thus, it is one of the primary Federal players in archeological resource management. The Council brings to this project broad knowledge of Federal agency public education activities and programs. Public education is of interest to the Advisory Council, just as it is to the Society for American Archaeology and the National Park Service. Instilling a preservation ethic in the youth of the United States can result in stronger constituencies supporting the conservation of the nation's heritage.

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) is an international organization dedicated to the research, interpretation, and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas. With more than 5600 members, the society represents student, avocational, and professional archeologists working in a variety of settings including government agencies, colleges and universities, museums, and the private sector. Since its inception in 1934, the Society for American Archaeology has endeavored to stimulate interest and research in American archaeology; advocated and aided in the conservation of archaeological resources; encouraged public access to and appreciation of archaeology; opposed all looting of sites and the purchase and sale of looted archaeological materials; and served as a bond among those interested in the archaeology of the Americas. The Society's Public Education Committee was formed in 1990 to reach larger audiences through projects that promote understanding of and respect for other cultures and encourage preservation of heritage resources. Members of the committee work to bring these messages to classrooms, archaeological parks, museum sites, and other forums. The committee conducts workshops, sponsors public programs, maintains a network of archaeologists willing to act as resources for teachers, and publishes resource materials including lesson plans, bibliographies, guidelines for evaluating archaeological education materials, and a thrice-yearly newsletter aimed primarily at pre-college educators.

Roles of the Cosponsors:

The role of the National Park Service in this activity is to organize the project in cooperation and coordination with the two cosponsors, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Society for American Archaeology; to be actively involved in discussions with the youth organizations as to how archaeological resource awareness and conservation can fit within their programming; and to participate in the research, writing, and presentation of the workbook.

The role of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in this project is to assist in exploring how archeological resource conservation can be incorporated into the programming of the primary youth organizations, to provide its knowledge and perspectives on archeological resource conservation issues in the formulation of an effective outline for the educating youth group leaders, and by participating in the research, writing, and presentation of the World Wide Web "publication."

The Society for American Archaeology is participating in this project primarily through its Public Education Committee. Public Education Committee members experienced in designing education materials for young people are involved in the development of an outline of the topics to be addressed in the World Wide Web "publication," are assisting in the research and writing of specific sections either individually or as part of a team, and are contributing to the overall design and presentation of the product. Information about the Workbook and its availability on the Web will be published in SAA publications --especially the newsletter Archaeology and Public Education-- and on Society for American Archaeology’s web site.

Project Contacts:

National Park Service: Lloyd Chapman 215.597.2334lloyd_chapman@nps.gov

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Ron Anzalone 202.606.8505ranzalone@achp.gov

Society for American Archaeology: Dorothy Krass 202.789.8200 dorothy_knass@saa.org

Project Funding:

Funded by the National Park Service FY 1998 Cultural Resource Training Initiative