You’re invited to attend a community listening session to learn more about Community Heart & Soul, led by the PA Humanities Council.
During this session, attendees will learn about a special opportunity to become the next Heart & Soul community.
Sessions are open to community members from Crawford, Erie, Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike, Venango, Mercer, and Lawrence Counties.
Two time slots are available and registration is required in advance.
Register for the Tuesday, October 6th at 10 am -12 pm session
Register for the Thursday, October 8th at 6-8 pm session
Special Grant Opportunity to Bring Humanities-Based Community Development to Your Town
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC), in partnership with Erie Arts & Culture and the PA Route 6 Alliance, invites you to a free virtual workshop to learn about Community Heart & Soul™, an innovative community development process that uses the tools of the humanities to engage residents in planning for the future.
Participants will also learn about a special grant opportunity, available to select counties, offered by PHC and statewide funding partners to become the next Heart & Soul community.
What is Community Heart & Soul™?
Community Heart & Soul™, originally developed by the Orton Family Foundation, is a process that cultivates a shared sense of belonging among residents, engages them in thinking critically and creatively about community life and involves them in planning and decision-making - all as a way to strengthen a town’s social, cultural and economic vibrancy.
Key to the process is learning what matters most by gathering stories, hopes and ideas from residents. This becomes the basis for building a community’s shared values, which informs a community’s unique action plan. As a result, communities become more connected, resourceful and resilient.
During this webinar, participants will:
- Learn about the four-phase Community Heart & Soul™ model.
- Learn how the humanities can be used to engage residents in visioning and planning for a community’s future.
- Hear from Pennsylvania Heart & Soul communities about how the model has been used to spark growth in their towns.
Since 2015, PHC has been the only statewide organization partnering with the Orton Family Foundation to bring Community Heart & Soul™ to towns across Pennsylvania. To learn more about our work and the communities we’ve supported visit our website.
Who Should Attend
This workshop and grant opportunity is only open to the following counties: Crawford, Erie, Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike, Venango, Mercer, and Lawrence.
Arts and culture organizations, local municipalities, community-based organizations, civic and economic development groups, downtown revitalization and preservation groups - and any resident or organization interested in increasing resident engagement and cross-sector collaboration for more robust community planning are encouraged to register.
Questions? Contact Jen Danifo at [email protected] or visit www.pahumanities.org for more information.
Support for these webinars is provided by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State Partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities under a grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
