In late spring we announced our partnership with 14 state Campus Compacts that will bring the Facing Project model to 70 new campuses/communities across the country. Over the past few weeks we have announced them on our site as the colleges and universities are selected in each state. This week we are excited to announce two new Kentucky-based projects through the partnership with Kentucky Campus Compact.
Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, KY): Facing Faces—Veteran’s Stories
Under the direction of Christine Salmon, Director of the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning, in partnership with the VA Clinic, Honor Dogs, American Legion, Audubon-Area Community Services, among others, this Facing Project will tell the stories of veterans—of all ages and conflicts—covering a variety of issues including reintegration after war, medical issues, psychological and addiction issues, relationships, and more.
Lindsey Wilson College (Adair County, KY): Facing Social Disruption in Rural Communities
Under the direction of G.A. Phelps, Director of the R.V. Bennett Honors Program and a Professor of Communication, Benson Sexton, Instructor of Communication, and Stefanie Tarter, Instructor of Applied Science, this Facing Project will explore social disruption—or changes that fundamentally alter, for better or worse, established conditions in a community. Narratives collected will include the following themes: undocumented immigration, addiction, childhood health and well-being, rapid ethnic diversification, political divisiveness, domestic violence and abuse, unemployment and underemployment, hunger, poverty, indifference, human trafficking, social injustice, environmental degradation, and the economy.
In addition to these two new projects, The Facing Project Chapter at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, has collected narratives on addiction the past two years. Union College joined The Facing Project in 2013.
These Facing Projects will bring together community partners, college students, storytellers, writers, artists, volunteers and their broader communities to learn from the first-person stories of their neighbors—and to be inspired by the stories to create new, hyper-local conversations and action.
We will share more details about each of these projects as they roll out over the next year.
If you would like to bring The Facing Project model to your campus/community, check out our Info. Guide and let us know if you’d like to connect.
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The Facing Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects people through stories to strengthen communities. The organization has connected writers, storytellers, artists, educators, and community leaders in over 100 communities across the country. Hailed by The Huffington Post, Harlem World Magazine, NPR, and Soul Train as one of three oral history projects to watch, The Facing Project provides a model, tools, and a platform for communities to arm themselves with stories to begin crucial conversations on social justice issues—neighbor to neighbor, community to community—by discussing solutions and exploring healing through their own narratives.