Student Report: Museum of SRV Launches Youth Action Council

The following essay was written by Monte Vista High School student Annalise Huang.

DANVILLE, CA– A youth advisory council for the Museum of the San Ramon Valley was created, connecting youth with local history.

The council consists of twenty-one high school students from the Tri-Valley region who are passionate about uniting the community and preserving local history.

The museum was originally a railroad station built in 1891. The tracks once extended throughout Contra Costa County and eventually connected as far as Oakland, meaning the location has long served as a community centerpiece.

Over a hundred years later, in 1996, the depot was restored to the Museum of the San Ramon
Valley, intent on keeping the history of the region alive.

Nowadays, the museum preserves generations of stories and artifacts and also serves as a vital symbol of community diversity and local pride.

“I founded the Youth Action Council (YAC) this summer after realizing that most of my peers
didn’t even know the museum existed,” said Claire Chin, a senior at Monte Vista High School who is the founder and president of the council. “Having volunteered as a greeter for the museum for quite a while, I’ve found local history from trains to the One Room Schoolhouse fascinating. The chance to share that love with more young people makes me so excited.”

The One Room Schoolhouse is the site of the museum’s One Room School Program, which allows Tri-Valley elementary schoolers to experience an authentic 1889 school day at the original Tassajara School from the 1800s. It is one of many unique local history initiatives the museum offers.

The council is passionate about expanding local history youth curriculum and promoting intergenerational discourse. Most of all, it hopes to involve the voices and participation of more young people in museum initiatives–even if that means just having a friendly face at the door.

Greeters welcome visitors at the museum’s front doors, answering questions about the town and managing the museum’s gift shop which celebrates local symbols. Docents serve as exhibit experts, guiding visitors through their experience by sharing knowledge on the current programming. The council hopes to involve even more young people in these roles.

If you are interested in supporting or contributing to the Youth Action Council, please consider completing this 1-minute survey on an evaluation of the council’s current initiatives and future
improvements.