MAKING THE PAST PRESENT: HISTORIC PRESERVATIONISTS SHIFTING PRACTICE TO ENGAGE YOUNG CITIZENS AS STAKEHOLDERS

Abstract

Historic preservation has long ignored the needs of young people as stakeholders, which seems contrary to the field’s sustainable, intergenerational nature. Preservationists must invest in bringing children and youth to the table, which requires understanding them. It is wise to make a collective conscious effort as a field to spend time now evaluating and considering transgenerational equity and the needs of future generations. This requires continually spending time and effort in becoming aware and mindful of trends, needs and preferences through generational analysis. This treatise will consider why the preservation field must make itself appealing to younger generations, and how this effort will allow for continuous relevancy of preservation as generations age and eventually become future policy makers, investors and stewards. This work specifically looks at how we should engage with our current youngest generations, Gen Z (Born ~1997-2009) and Gen Alpha (born 2010-Present). This treatise offers tangible solutions for engaging with children and youth and proposes practical implementation. This treatise is organized in a case study format and makes use of interviews with representatives of organizations, both within the discipline of historic preservation and outside it, who offer an accurate depiction of our current landscape. The results of compiling such information offer solutions that can be effectively applied within the field through the proposed tool-kit.