Interpretive Training for St. Louis-Area Public History Sites

Do you grapple with interpreting challenging history topics?
Would your heritage site benefit from training in inclusive storytelling and dialogic interpretation?

The Challenging History Collaborative is proud to offer a new interpretive training program in 2025 for public history sites in the St. Louis region. However, the application deadline has now expired.

Gateway to Challenging Storytelling

This is an enlightening new training program for staff, volunteers, and managers at St. Louis-area heritage site, led by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC). Trainers from ICSC have developed personalized, interactive trainings for staff at museums and historic sites around the world, helping them learn to engage audiences in challenging conversations.  Their training program can help your staff build confidence and expertise as they present your site’s complicated stories.

Participants will:

• Collaborate in a two-day in-person training followed by three virtual training sessions.
  
• Learn techniques such as inclusive storytelling that engage audiences in talking about difficult history.
• Engage with a group of selected public history sites over a 6-8 month period, beginning in the spring of 2025.
  • In-person sessions: All day on Tues. April 22 and Wed. April 23, held at Great Rivers Greenway’s office (3745 Foundry Way, Suite 253, St. Louis, MO 63110)
  • Virtual sessions:
    • Tues. May 13, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
    • Tues. June 10, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
    • Tues. July 15, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
    • Tues. Sept. 9 (wrap-up and reflection), 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Great Rivers Greenway, Jefferson National Parks Association, and the University of Missouri — St. Louis, are sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.