The WVU Center for Resilient Communities will launch the Resilient Communities Institute in August. Participants will join a growing circle of change makers who are forging deep connections in the region and learning to plan, consult, and mobilize knowledge resources for the growth and sustainability of long-term community change.
“The Resilient Communities Institute is a virtual make shop for long-term initiatives and partnerships to address our region’s most pressing concerns,” said Bradley Wilson, Center executive director.
The RCI prepares adults and youth to lead innovative, community-based projects and sustain long-term partnerships that build more vibrant communities in their region, neighborhoods, small towns and home sites.
It is organized around an innovative curriculum and mentorship approach developed by the CRC that builds from the knowledge and experiences of the participants and connects community leaders, faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students and high school students in intergenerational conversation.
This year, the RCI is launching a series of workshops, short courses, field experiences, seminars and certificate programs that meet the needs of the present generation and respond to the challenges in our region.
Applications are due by April 26 for the following programs to be held on the WVU Morgantown Campus:
“Preparing for Tomorrow: Resilience Ambassadors Program,” for high school students, August 1-3
The program will enroll 25 high school age youth from Monongalia County. The program prepares youth, ages 15-19, to make a contribution to building more vibrant communities. Participants will learn key leadership qualities, mapping skills and use team-based scientific inquiry to identify important community, cultural, environmental and economic assets, and create an assessment of community vulnerability to future flood hazards in the county. In addition to building friendships and having fun, students will learn the concepts, skills, information and attitudes that enable them to prepare for tomorrow and lead community building efforts in their neighborhoods, towns and rural home sites.
“Groundwork for Vibrant Communities,” for adult learners, including faculty and graduate students, August 8-10
The workshop will enroll 30 project leaders and partners in a three-day intensive program to elevate project design, team-building, data literacy, needs assessment and resource development at WVU. Drawing upon a unique curriculum focused on mutual accompaniment, team building, participatory research, and cycles of action and reflection, we will support new and experienced project coordinators to design more enduring initiatives and build more meaningful partnerships that contribute to vibrant communities. Participants will learn from global experts and grassroots leaders, while refining their own project plans, gaining new skills and insights, and joining a network of leaders from across the region.