ACTUALIZE EQUITY, SPARK CREATIVE INQUIRY + RECLAIM THE NARRATIVE.
CORE WORK ::
training + education
adé PROJECT | Highlight Reel
2018 + Beyond – Training:
- We advocate for our people and challenge inequity with tool kits for liberation and ways to share best practices.
- We provide support for strategic planning + change management by working directly with entrepreneurs, small businesses, tour operators, orgs and education hubs seeking a creative process of building or innovating their work.
- We serve as a resource connector for grants, opportunities, contracts, proposals, conferences, workshops, trainings, and scholarships that will advance professional and personal development for those working in the artistic leadership space.
Big Ups + Wins
Featured presenter at Creative Sector Summit.
Featured presenter at Conference on Community Arts Education.
Represented Asheville + the work at Othering & Belonging Conference; and NC Black Leaders & Organizers Collective.
25 Facilitated Sessions.
CASE STUDY
LEANING IN: Youth-Led Listening Sessions | November 22, 2019-May 21, 2020
Lenoir-Rhyne Asheville & Asheville City Schools Foundation
STORY OF NOW
In the face of inequity, oppression and anti-Blackness – art is our RESPONSE. A three person team comprising of: Cortina Jenelle, Lauren Rayburn + Itiyopiya Ewart set out to create a space that would be inspiring for Black youth in Asheville to get engaged in community problems and use creative facilitation as a means to communicate with the adults that needed to be moved to action.
adé PROJECT: SCOPE OF WORK
Facilitation Training + Planning
Participated in community training hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University, mentored + prepped student leaders.
Logistics + Layout for Site
Created a welcoming space with free food + beverage, a Black joy playlist, altar, library and circle layout for attendees.
Student Participation + Leadership
Facilitated a hands-on process of outreach, invitation and engagement of student government + school leaders.
Program Design
Engaged participants and supported students to lead circuits, four corners, check-ins, debriefs and follow-up.
STORY OF ORIGIN
Leaning In was an intentionally curated space dedicated to holding space for Black youth and youth programs to create a shared agenda to disrupt disparities in Asheville. With a process that was youth-inspired, youth-facilitated, and youth-led, the gathering took place in the form of interactivity, facilitated, conversation and strategy facing education + learning, social justice + racial equity, mentorship, art + culture, and youth leadership. It was our hope that at the conclusion of our time together, we would have modeled and hosted space in honor of the youth experience, uplift intergenerational work, created community connections, centered healing, celebrated Black culture, and provided a platform that would create local opportunities for teens, and youth in Asheville and beyond. After much acclaim from the first Leaning In, the series continued despite COVID in 2020.
The story + impact.
This initial intent to hold space, establish priorities, and create accountability + connections is evidenced by many moments and reflections of the convening. Witnessing the space that was made for the feelings to be felt as well as the preparedness and courage of the youth to hold boundaries with time along with the flexibility of space was awe inspiring. The design seemed to help facilitate people being able to go deeper, especially after Theater of the Oppressed and the Four Corners activities which both made space for openness and happened at the exact right time to bring wisdom from the individual to the collective. The youth participating seemed to appreciate having their peers facilitating and holding boundaries. There was an ease in how the support of the youth facilitators happened, and the design of it flowed particularly well. It seemed as though youth felt seen and valued.
- youth speakers – 50%
- Number of educators in attendance – 10%
- attendees that learned meaningful content – 97%
youth + adult organizers
Community Orgs in attendance
leaders educated
dollars invested back to black leadership
Why IT MATTERS
Our world will be inherited by youth and the truth of the matter is they are not just our tomorrow, they are our TODAY. The longer we wait to involved youth in conversations that dictate the future of their lives, the less likely they will be to offer their insights and lift their voices in moments when it matters most. The best thing we could do is constantly scan Board rooms, meetings, and workshops and ask ourselves “Where are all the young people?”
We Cannot Afford to Leave Our Children, Their Talent, or Potential Behind.
We Have Capacity to Support + Build an Ecosystem that Works WITH Community.
Knowledge is Power!
Let’s CREATE + DESIGN TOGETHER. Say Hello!
Drop us a line using the form below to inquire about adé PROJECT Training + Education.