Huron County Council Approved the Youth Strategy Presented by the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol Recently

by Bob Montgomery

Huron County's Curator of Engagement and Dialogue presented the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol's Youth Strategy at last week's county council meeting.

Sinead Cox says the Strategy gives them a chance to measure how they're currently doing as far as reaching young people across the county and then what they could do to reach more of those young people. Cox says many of their collections are donated from communities all over Huron County and it's not always possible for the young people in those communities to get to Goderich to see those artifacts. “There are a few different ways we can bridge those barriers, whether that is busing programs that have been generously funded by Compass Minerals, or outreach programs that allow them to go out to the communities with travelling exhibits, whenever staffing allows, and take part in events or festivals in those communities.” Cox adds, while they do want to bring the collections to the young people, they also want young people to contribute and have their own voice in the stories that they're telling.

Cox says the museum is a place where, even at a very young age, kids can start to think about the community they live in and the connection with the past. Through that, they build long lasting relationships with the museum's sites, and with the county, and they feel some pride and sense of community. She said they hear that, not just from the younger kids that are visiting the museum for the first time and get to see their house or farm on an historic map, but also from their volunteers and staff. They're often surprised to discover something that actually happened in their community, and they also get a chance to provide some input into the story that's been told.

Cox says they had to shut down several programs because of COVID, but they're back now and they're expanding their programs, but she also points out, it's not just about more programs. They're also working to provide programming that meets the needs of educators, parents, and kids.

More information about their programs can be found on the Huron County Museum website.