ISSUED: 13 January 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities is accepting applications from teachers and community leaders in Jefferson and Berkeley counties for a new community leadership institute titled “Voices from the Misty Mountains, Reclaiming Our Story for a New Appalachia: An Appalachia Institute for Community Leadership.” The deadline for applying for the institute, which will take place February 4-April 28 on Tuesdays from 5-6:30 p.m., is Friday, January 27.
The Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities received a $10,000 Building Resources In Diverse Geographic Environments (BRIDGE) grant from the state’s Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs to conduct the institute. BRIDGE is a pilot program that aims to improve community health and economic development in Kanawha, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties.
Content in Shepherd’s BRIDGE Institute will specifically target underserved communities in order to enrich and enhance the curriculum, in this case through an understanding of the history, culture, and literature of Appalachia and specifically telling West Virginia’s story. Teachers and community leaders from underserved institutions who apply for a position in the BRIDGE Institute will be given the highest priority for admittance. Participants will receive a $500 stipend for their work, which they can apply toward materials or professional development or graduate credit.
For a copy of the BRIDGE Institute application form and calendar, contact Dr. Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities, at sshurbut@shepherd.edu, or call 304-876-3119 or 912-655-2380.
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