Family History - Self Reliance Course & Ward Community
Build an introductory course that will introduce FamilySearch tools as well as provide a group setting in which to learn foundational principles to assist users in gaining the confidence and perspective necessary to begin and continue working on their family tree.
This course would be run by facilitators who guide discussion and learning about the program and important gospel principles related to family history and temple work. At the end of this course the group would be guided to join a community of others in their Ward who have completed the same course.
Within the community they can post question, comments, experiences. Ward Family History Consultants can then help research answers and post helpful articles for members to review. Events can also be posted in the community for webinars or in-person meetings.
Comments
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Hi Joseph,
The Church offers the Introduction to Family History institute course that is 12 chapters long and anyone can access the student manual: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/introduction-to-family-history-student-manual/introduction?lang=eng and the teacher manual: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/introduction-to-family-history-teacher-manual-religion-261?lang=eng in the Gospel Library. You could utilize this in your ward/stake in a similar fashion to the Self Reliance program.
However, these materials are nearly 9 years old and do not contain the current information about FamilySearch software (which is changing daily).
I recommend that in addition to the institute manual (teaches doctrine), that you could utilize the Family History Guide: https://www.thefhguide.com/ The team that runs this organization strives to stay up-to-date with all the computer enhancements to FamilySearch. They also offer materials for Ancestry, FindMyPast and MyHeritage. It is a wonderful resource for teaching and learning family history. This Family History Guide also offers a Come Follow Me Companion with family history content for every week of the Come Follow Me schedule.
In the Self-Reliance initiative, within the My Foundation Principles, each group learns the foundation: Become One, Serve Together. In this material there is a suggestion to either use the My Family booklet, prepare a name for the temple and/or attend the temple together as a group. In every group that I have facilitated over the past 4 years, each group has chosen to do a family history related activity (except one group who chose to serve at a food pantry). So there is a little bit of family history already tucked into the current Self-Reliance initiative.
I love your idea for a Self-Reliance course ... however, since the materials already exist for the institute course and the Family History Guide training materials are available, there is ample material to run a course within your own ward/stake for those who may be interested. This could be taught by the temple and family history consultants.
Even with the course, you will want to work with each ward/stake member one-on-one to help them with their own individual goals in family history and temple work. Courses can help give background and some instruction, but everyone's goals for what they want to accomplish will be completely different.
I hope these resources I've suggested will be of help to you.
Amy
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Hi Joseph,
The Church offers the Introduction to Family History institute course that is 12 chapters long and anyone can access the student manual: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/introduction-to-family-history-student-manual/introduction?lang=eng and the teacher manual: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/introduction-to-family-history-teacher-manual-religion-261?lang=eng in the Gospel Library. You could utilize this in your ward/stake in a similar fashion to the Self Reliance program.
However, these materials are nearly 9 years old and do not contain the current information about FamilySearch software (which is changing daily).
I recommend that in addition to the institute manual (teaches doctrine), that you could utilize the Family History Guide: https://www.thefhguide.com/ The team that runs this organization strives to stay up-to-date with all the computer enhancements to FamilySearch. They also offer materials for Ancestry, FindMyPast and MyHeritage. It is a wonderful resource for teaching and learning family history. This Family History Guide also offers a Come Follow Me Companion with family history content for every week of the Come Follow Me schedule.
In the Self-Reliance initiative, within the My Foundation Principles, each group learns the foundation: Become One, Serve Together. In this material there is a suggestion to either use the My Family booklet, prepare a name for the temple and/or attend the temple together as a group. In every group that I have facilitated over the past 4 years, each group has chosen to do a family history related activity (except one group who chose to serve at a food pantry). So there is a little bit of family history already tucked into the current Self-Reliance initiative.
I love your idea for a Self-Reliance course ... however, since the materials already exist for the institute course and the Family History Guide training materials are available, there is ample material to run a course within your own ward/stake for those who may be interested. This could be taught by the temple and family history consultants.
Even with the course, you will want to work with each ward/stake member one-on-one to help them with their own individual goals in family history and temple work. Courses can help give background and some instruction, but everyone's goals for what they want to accomplish will be completely different.
I hope these resources I've suggested will be of help to you.
Amy
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