Program areas at PHC
General program operationsexpenses incurred in the operations of phc that include program development, special events, partnership development, public outreach and advocacy.
Teen reading lounge (trl)operating at 17 libraries and out-of-school sites across the state for the 2021-22 program year, teen reading lounge allows teens to take the lead by choosing readings on topics of interest, have honest discussions with their peers, and participate in youth-led community projects. Trl has been operating for over a decade and is the recipient of multiple awards including the after school champion award from the Pennsylvania after school youth development network. Trl also provides humanities-based training for librarians and youth development professionals [continued on sch o]at both current trl sites and for our network of previous trl site staff statewide. In 2022, pa Humanities launched teen reading lounge: insights from 10 years of participatory research and evaluation, written by trl research consultant, dr. valerie adams-bass. The findings were presented at the Pennsylvania library association conference in harrisburg and as part of a celebration bringing together current and former facilitators and participants.teen reading lounge is supported with funds awarded by the office of commonwealth libraries, the neh, and restricted donations from individual and business donors.
Pennsylvania heart & soul communities pa heart & soul is a community-led process that uses a humanities-based approach to spark positive changes within and empower new leaders. Pa Humanities has worked collaboratively with state-wide partners to recruit, select, train and support residents, local government officials as well as arts, Humanities and culture leaders across the state to discover what matters most to them and plan for the future of their communities. In 2021, pa Humanities announced its partnership with the Pennsylvania department of community and economic development (dced), the pa route 6 alliance, and the Pennsylvania department of conservation and natural resources (dcnr) [continued on sch o]to bring pa heart & soul to four new sites along the route 6 corridor: carbondale, tidioute, Wyoming county, and youngsville. These additions bring the total number of pa heart & soul towns to 12 and build on the addition of new sites in beaver county and dillsburg in 2020.
Chester made uses the Humanities to promote and celebrate local arts and their contributions to economic development. With funds from ember, a project of the spring point foundation, chester made focused on amplifying voices through the chester digital storytelling project in 2021. Storytelling is, has been, and always will be the heart of the chester made project. Since its earliest days, chester made has used storytelling as a way to bring people together, address challenges, create solutions, and celebrate victories. The emergence of the chester digital storytelling project builds on the strong history of pa Humanities' mission to find human connections in the Humanities. The digital story process is a new way to honor the hopes, dreams, and memories of the extraordinary, everyday people in chester.
Special projects pa kindness poem projectpa Humanities partnered with philadelphia poet laureate trapeta b. mayson on a mission to help spread kindness throughout the state. Named the pa kindness poem project, this year-long initiative invited residents to share messages on social media that promote generosity, healing, reconciliation, and peace. Throughout 2021, people from across the state submitted poems, affirmations, quotes, anecdotes, pictures, and videos. Drawing inspiration from those shared words, mayson created an original poem which was released on world kindness day 2021 (november 13).civic and electoral participation project with whyywith media partner whyy, pa Humanities held two statewide virtual events on civic and electoral participation. The panels featured journalists, politicians, academics, and everyday people. The conversations were driven by whyy interviews of pa residents. "what now?" (january 2021) was a statewide, interactive discussion about the election and its aftermath, including ways pennsylvanians can promote decency, dialogue, and informed civic engagement. "what's next? National politics at the local level" (april 2021) explored how tensions and fractures on national issues are playing out in local Pennsylvania politics. Funding was provided by the "why it matters: civic and electoral participation" initiative, administered by the federation of state Humanities councils and funded by andrew w. mellon foundation.pa sharppa sharp is pa Humanities' $1.4 million Humanities recovery and growth grant program that will include a mapping project, podcasts, and publications on our learnings. As part of the american rescue plan act of 2021, state and regional Humanities councils distributed funding from the national endowment for the Humanities' sharp (sustaining the Humanities through the american rescue plan) program for projects that will run through 2022. With this support, pa Humanities offered up to $20,000 in flexible funding to support the growth and recovery of the Humanities in Pennsylvania. With the help of an external and internal review team of 46 cultural professionals from across the state, pa Humanities devised award criteria that emphasized making meaningful grants to smaller cultural organizations, particularly those serving rural populations and underrepresented groups. The initiative provides an opportunity to reimagine, reinvent, and re-envision Humanities work through planning, capacity building, and creative programming. Awardees will also be part of a learning network beginning in 2022. The groundwork was also laid for the development of a new learning network with grantees and a Humanities mapping project in partnership with drexel university that will map, network, and celebrate the ecosystem of Humanities practice across multiple sectors in pa and their role in Pennsylvania's recovery in 2022.acls leading edge fellowshipin october 2021, pa Humanities announced its partnership with dr. brittany levingston, an american Council of learned societies leading edge fellow, who will develop a series of statewide programs centered on the renowned works of Pennsylvania playwright august wilson. Levingston's project will focus on the ten plays of august wilson's century cycle, which chronicles the collective memory, history, and dreams of african american families across the twentieth century. She will collaborate with pa Humanities on a slate of community engagement programs exploring themes from the plays that will inform discussion of the rich history of african american communities across the state and the issues they face today.if you were in the room (a more perfect union) as part of the national endowment for the Humanities' a more perfect union initiative, pa Humanities asked young people across the state to share their thoughts on the us constitution during the summer of 2022. If you were in the room was kicked off by gisele fetterman, second lady of Pennsylvania. Videos and written works poured in from across the state and a few exceptional participants were selected for a special educational experience that included a private tour of the national constitution center and a viewing of hamilton on broadway including a q&a with the cast. A landing page, which includes a video of the experience and teacher resources, were created. The project was featured by the federation of state Humanities councils in 2023.
Special projects pa sharp pa sharp is pa Humanities' $1.4 million Humanities recovery and growth grant program that includes a research mapping project, podcasts, and publications on our learnings. As part of the american rescue plan act of 2021, state and regional Humanities councils distributed funding from the national endowment for the Humanities' sharp (sustaining the Humanities through the american rescue plan) program for projects that ran through 2022. With this support, pa Humanities offered up to $16,000 in flexible funding to organizations to support the growth and recovery of the Humanities in Pennsylvania. With the help of an external and internal review team of 46 cultural professionals from across the state, pa Humanities devised award criteria that emphasized making meaningful grants to smaller cultural organizations, particularly those serving rural populations and underrepresented groups. The initiative provided an opportunity to reimagine, reinvent, and re-envision Humanities work through planning, capacity building, and creative programming. Awardees joined the pa sharp learning network in 2022 where they networked and shared resources.
Research in 2022, pa Humanities released two research reports and conducted a statewide recovery survey. Teen reading lounge: insights from 10 years of participatory research and evaluation written by: valerie n. adams-bass, phd. In this learning brief, youth specialist dr. valerie adams-bass shares a decade of field-relevant insights, research, and finding about youth development from teen reading lounge (trl), our award-winning,interactive reading and discussion program. The brief draws on ten years of data collected by the allegheny intermediate unit from both the teen participants and the adult trl facilitators. In addition to providing valuable insights into pa Humanities' successes and challenges, this research sheds light on how to better center diversity, equity, and inclusion in all youth programming. The findings support the Humanities as a viable means for effectively and equitably engaging youth in programs that build important educational and social-emotional skills. How participants were championing and redefining the role of the Humanities in our communities. The research revealed a series of field-relevant themes and lessons for practitioners and funders looking to put the Humanities into action. Humanities in action: a national perspective written by: julie t. donofrio, aicp, katie levesque, with paul farber, phd, a.l. Mccollough, and alli davis. Pa Humanities partnered with pennpraxis, the center for applied research and practice at the university of Pennsylvania stuart weitzman school of design, to examine how the Humanities are contributing to civic engagement, creative placemaking, and community development across the nation. Together we explored pa Humanities' work alongside other organizations, funders, and practitioners pursuing similar initiatives across the country. The research revealed synergies between the Humanities and the broader work of community development, with exciting possibilities for future collaborations between the fields. The research also highlights the recovery and growth work employed to take action for their communities during 2020, offering further examples of how the Humanities can be a force for equitable social change. Pennsylvania cultural recovery & regrowth survey developed by: pa Humanities, greater philadelphia cultural alliance, and pa museums in mid-2022, pa Humanities and its partners conducted a statewide survey exploring covid-19's impact on the cultural sector and how organizations are supporting recovery and growth. 222 organizations from communities of all sizes across the state participated. Together we learned that the cultural sector: continues to be affected by the pandemic, creatively adapted, is not expecting normalcy until at least 2023, is embedded in our social fabric and sustains vital services and relationships, and needs additional funding to fully recover.