NEXT LISTEN TO A LIFE ESSAY CONTEST
STARTS SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

Click here to read the winning essays in the 2009-2010 Listen to a Life Essay Contest. The next contest starts September 12, which is National Grandparents Day, and runs to the end of March, 2011. Complete contest details and rules will be posted here in September. But, you can start planning now…

What can you learn when you listen to a life? Children and teens can become more aware of their own dreams and goals – and what's needed to achieve them – when they hear the real-life stories of older adults. The Legacy Project's 11th annual Listen to a Life Essay Contest is an opportunity to develop important skills in areas that include interviewing, listening, writing, and technology. Young people have an opportunity for their work to be read and recognized by a wider audience. And the BIGGEST benefit of this contest has always been the important intergenerational connections it encourages, builds, and strengthens. It helps forge closer connections between young and old as they get to know each other in new, often unexpected ways.

To enter, a young person 8-18 years old interviews an older person over 50 years (cannot be a parent; they can be a grandparent, older friend, mentor, neighbor, nursing home resident, etc.) about their hopes and goals through their life, how they achieved goals and overcame obstacles, or how dreams may have changed along the way. What life advice can the older person share? The young person then writes a 300-word essay (maximum) based on the interview.

Every year, we get enthusiastic feedback from young people, teachers, parents, and grandparents. One of the oldest people interviewed for the contest in recent years was Great-Grandmother Florence Ruth Wilson at 104 years. Says her great-grandson Cameron Gonsalves, 11, "She may not be able to drive, but she sure rocks a wheelchair!"

Many young entrants commented how surprised they were by what they learned. Says 13-year-old Kyle Macdowell from Arlington, TX, "I see my grandma a lot, but not until this contest did I really realize who she is. I never knew about her background or what struggles she has had."

Teachers feel the contest is an important addition to their classroom experience and the intergenerational connections in their school community. Says Lori Halbison a teacher in Higley, AZ, "I can't tell you how many thank you's I received from parents just because they learned more about the grandparent interviewed and it was valuable for the whole family."

Mary Ann Richter is a Gifted Education Teacher with Hamilton City Schools in Ohio. She writes, "Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 set out to learn from the past by interviewing a senior citizen in their community and writing a story that developed from this interview. The results were fantastic, informative stories. But besides that, students developed a sincere camaraderie, a partnership, that will last for many years to come, and maybe forever. Students have developed a better appreciation for the person they interviewed. It was a great learning experience for senior and student."

Mary Korzan at Queen of Peace School in Indiana says, "Thank you for the opportunity to engage my students in such a meaningful assignment. New relationships were forged and existing relationships were enhanced. I hope to have my students participate in this essay contest as long as you have the contest and as long as I am teaching."

Nancy LeClair at Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School in Massachusetts involved her sixth grade students in the contest: "First I want to say how much my students enjoyed this project. It was a springboard towards additional endeavors. We read the Dream book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Second, I took my class to a local nursing home to interview the residents. Both the students and the residents gained from this experience. This project led us into another and we ended up raising money to buy a Nintendo Wii system for the nursing home during the holiday season. Indeed, your project really inspired us to get to know and to help another life."

Theresa Johnson, a sixth-grade teacher at Maple Point Middle School in Pennsylvania, has entered her students for three years: "We read and discussed the amazing book Dream, and my students made Dream Stars, which hang above their desk to remind them of their hopes and dreams for their future. We learned about interviewing techniques. Finally, my students spent precious time with their grandparents and grandfriends before sitting down to write their essay. Some of the comments from my students were so touching that I have to share a few of them with you. One girl told me that her grandmother cried when she asked her if she could interview her for this project. Another student explained that he didn't know his grandfather had such a fascinating life: 'I knew him my entire life, but I never really knew his life story!' One boy told me that because of this assignment, he is going to continue to write down the life stories of his family in order to preserve them for his children to enjoy. What more could a teacher hope for!"

Reading through the winning stories from previous years is a good start to crafting an appropriate essay. As you'll see, the judging committee isn't looking for a laundry list of dates and life facts. Rather, they're looking for an evocative, creative story that captures the essence of a person's life, or a critical moment or experience.

To help with your entry, you can also read through the Life Interview Tips and sample Life Interview Questions (you don't have to use the questions; they're designed to give you ideas and inspiration).

To set the stage for an interview, you can read Dream together. Dream is about hopes and dreams across a lifetime. With a multilayered story, remarkable artwork from 15 of the top illustrators in the world, and thought-provoking quotations, this book will spark a lot of ideas and conversation.

The Listen to a Life Contest starts every year in September and runs to the end of March. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. One entry per team. Entries must be 300 words or less, be a true story about an older person's life, and will be judged by a committee based on the following criteria: 1/3 appropriateness to theme; 1/3 writing quality; 1/3 content originality.

Many schools and community groups run their own version of this contest and then enter the best entries in the national contest. It's a great way to connect the generations in your community!

To be notified when new contests are announced, and find out when other new FREE resources are available on the Legacy Project website, click here to subscribe to our e-mail newsletter.