These should include memories about what was happening in the world and in their communities, as well as what was happening in the lives of their families. Ask participants to break into small groups, one for each time period, and briefly discuss what they know of the period. Then each group writes in its information. Other participants add events that have been left out. When everyone, including the facilitator, has added as much to the timeline as they can, have participants comment on any new insights or learning from reading this history.
Timelines can be useful in looking at the history of struggle on an issue.
The historical timeline is a tool that helps participants reconstruct the history of their struggle in order to see what lessons can be learned from this history and to see how forces shift over time. Ask the group to identify a current issue or struggle that is critical to their interests. Ask them to discuss and agree on a timeframe that they d like to examine in order to understand better how this struggle has evolved. Draw a line along newsprint and write these dates at opposite ends. The group might want to project anticipated future events as well.