Oct

Yesterday, Today

A new collaboration with USA Today features a series of objects and stories from the Smithsonian’s collections that help explain how ideas from previous generations continue to inspire and influence us today.

Dear Colleagues,

We wanted to bring to your attention another exciting collaboration between the Office of the Under Secretary for Education, the Office of Communications and External Affairs, and USA Today, following on the success of the Summer Road Trip educational insert for K-8 students that ran in the newspaper’s pages in June, reaching 175,000 households in 36 states and U.S. territories and receiving nearly 13,000 online views.

On Sunday, October 25, USA Today will publish Yesterday, Today. This activity guide is aimed at a senior audience and features a series of objects and stories from the Smithsonian’s collections that help explain how ideas from previous generations continue to inspire and influence us today. We hope that grandparents, caregivers, and older adults can use the guide to connect with family and children in their lives. We are happy to announce that this insert will be included in 1.7 million newspapers and distributed nationwide to USA Today subscribers.

During the coronavirus outbreak, our educators have been working to provide Smithsonian resources to communities to minimize the disruptions they are facing. Older adults are experiencing social isolation. Many families lack home access to computers or reliable Internet connections. As such, the education team has prioritized bridging these gaps by making high-quality no- and low-tech educational materials available. Yesterday, Today includes QR codes so readers can do a deeper dive into our museums through our websites.

Not only is this a terrific opportunity to prove the Smithsonian’s ability to provide a wide variety of exciting educational content to different constituencies, it is a chance for us to champion the Institution and direct audiences to the work of your educators, curators, researchers, and program experts. The existing Institution-wide content and collections on which this guide is based create a visually rich, multi-disciplinary experience that is uniquely Smithsonian.

Yesterday, Today taps into USA Today’s national print and distribution network, allowing us to dramatically expand our reach and impact. The collaboration reminds us of the power of joining external organizations to broaden our influence and connect with audiences in different ways.

We hope you will explore this activity guide for inspiration, and we encourage you to share it with the lifelong learners in your life.

Sincerely,
Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar
Acting Under Secretary for Education

Julissa Marenco
Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs
Chief Marketing Officer

Share the new guide with your loved ones: Smithsonian YesterdayToday