The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation announces an exciting opportunity for Long Island museums and historical societies to offer employment and assistance to students through the 2024 Gardiner Young Scholars Program.
The Gardiner Young Scholars Program was created by the foundation to bring the youth to local historical sites to share their energy, passion, skills and interests with local historians. Historic organizations can engage with students between the ages of 15 and 22 to assist with daily operations.
The foundation’s mission is to educate, cultivate, and encourage the study and understanding of Long Island and New York’s historic role in the American experience.
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation was established by Robert David Lion Gardiner in 1987. Robert David Lion Gardiner was the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY, until his death in August 2004. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island for 385 years. The Island remains private and is owned and maintained by direct Gardiner descendants to this day.
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation remains inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s passion for Long Island and New York history.
“The Foundation is delighted to offer our local historic community this outreach to employ young scholars to become part of their teams. This offering to youthful participants encourages them to engage with their historic heritage,” said Kathryn M. Curran, executive director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. “This collaborative effort advances the goals of our historic stewards by introducing them to social media and other ways of expanding their audience while encouraging their Young Scholars in the study of regional history.”
The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society in Port Washington is one of the organizations that have utilized the Young Scholars Program. Through the program, local students worked at the historical society doing various jobs such as identifying and cataloguing antique tools for displays.
The program requires a selected young scholar to complete 100 hours of service and provides a stipend of $1,600 to be paid to the scholar. The Gardiner Young Scholars are selected at the discretion of the individual historical society, which oversees their hours and activities.
To apply for the program, organizations must submit a hard copy letter of request along with an IRS determination letter establishing them as a 501(c)(3) organization (three year minimum) and a copy of their mission statement. Organizations should send the letter of request to: Gardiner Young Scholars, Terry Tirado, 30 West Main Street, Suite 309, Riverhead, NY 11901. Hard copy letters of request must be received by July 31, 2024.
Organizations applying must support the study, stewardship, and promotion of education relating to Long Island’s and New York’s role in American history, scholarships, and historic preservation.
At the end of the young scholar’s term, the historical society is required to submit a short video presentation created by the scholar on their experience, a letter from the historical society describing the work performed by the Scholar and other requirements detailed on the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation website, https://www.rdlgfoundation.org/
