Grant Summary
"The History Makers Program," a collaboration between Fordham University and Citizens' Advice Bureau (now Bronxworks) introduced students in CAB's Adolescent Development Program to history beyond the textbook by combining classroom activities with hands-on research and fieldwork. Led by a Fordham faculty member with assistance from undergraduate student mentors, and built on Fordham's involvement in the Bronx African-American Oral History Project, the program helped students better understand documented and undocumented histories, exposed them to New York City history that is not often studied in traditional classroom settings, and developed their critical thinking and research skills. Over six weeks in the summer students studied various sites in the classroom and through fieldwork. They spent the final week of the program in residence at Fordham where they finished their group research projects—using primary and secondary sources—on neighborhoods in the Bronx, and then presented their findings to peers and family on their last night on campus.