Thread by @laurenpeightel

Now that the #MRoots2022 #genealogy #familyhistory #history #storytelling #conference is behind us, I wanted to share some lessons and thoughts I had as chair for this new type of learning experience. 🧵

The future of #genealogy #familyhistory #education is happening NOW for things you want to see and have mainstream in 3-5+ years. There’s no room for waiting. There’s no room for wishful thinking of before 2020. It’s embrace change. Be the change maker. Or fold.

Stop stereotyping people into boxes of how you expect they’ll respond. Age. Experience. Heritage. Race. Dive in and discover together. Invest in new learning styles. Invest in rising/emerging professionals. Push #genealogy learning spaces to be learner inclusive.

Push #genealogy #familyhistory content to be less record finding and more inspiration for how to apply it and what to do with it. Embrace community #history, regional history, cultural history, #foodhistory, #musichistory.

Put the emotion back into #historyresearch. Forget the third party neutral space. #genealogy #familyhistory is YOUR HISTORY. It’s impossible to have zero bias and/or emotion in its impact and outcome. Use that! Fuel that! That’s where real passion lies! Great story! Change!

Fuel #story! Encourage fun! Encourage play! How can we ever expect our conferences and #genealogy #familyhistory education spaces to continue to compete for invaluable amounts of time, (esp paid time off!), and large financial investments if we don’t create EXPERIENCES!?!?

How can we continue to expect to grow attendance numbers where the same/similar #genealogy #familyhistory speakers and their content exists/will exist online w/o the need for significant time and financial investment?

How do we create #genealogy #familyhistory co-learning spaces that encourage/inspire real collaboration, community, and support over formalized mingling and networking? How do we build strong systems of selfless mentors and rising mentees!?

If you’re in #genealogy #familyhistory and part of the #conference & Ed world and you’re not asking yourself these hard questions, I’m sorry, but you’re behind. I was asking myself these questions in 2018 to design this conference that dropped in 2022, and I’m already behind.

#genealogy #familyhistory conference attendance is not going to correct itself and grow with the current models. The spending and time commitments of rising generations are not the same. It’s up to us to recognize this, study this, adjust for this, and plan for this.

If this sounds like you, a leader or organizer for large scale #genealogy #familyhistory events or conferences and you’re overwhelmed on where to start or think to make changes- message me. Let’s talk.

I obviously don’t know everything and I’m not a fortune teller for the future of #genealogy #familyhistory education, but I do know it has to change.

I put on a completely different kind of #genealogy #familyhistory conference that embraced different learning styles, made steps to bridge generational and field gaps, and really inspired #storytelling. The feedback was overwhelming for those loving the change.

So embrace it. Dive into it. Be creative. Try things you think won’t work. Ask questions. Talk to your audience. Define your audience and their wants! But do something. And if you’re struggling with where to talk, I’m happy to encourage you. We are the change.