Active History Conference, messages from the field, where Active Historians are working and their challenges and successes.

I attended the Active History Conference at Glendon College and left with a greater understanding of Active History. I enjoyed the variety of presenters and subjects. A passion for history and social change can be combined to redirect our culture and our country, illustrated by Dean Jacobs from Walpole Island First Nation Heritage Centre and many others during the conference. As each speaker presented I asked myself about their ability to convey their message, because the historian is only effective if the message is accepted and understood. I was also conscious of their sources and their motivation. Active History initiates a conversation, perhaps a disagreement and there are no conveners. Effective historians acquire a comfort level and develop presentation skills for academic and especially non-academic audiences. This pondering is brought on by my research for my first Archives paper. I am comparing public historians and archivists. I am especially interested in opportunities for collaborative work and points of tension. There are many aspects to examine in this paper and attending the weekend conference took me away from my research, so although it was an interesting weekend I feel better when I'm focusing on the task at hand.