Brushy Fork Institute 

Pilots Community Transformation 

Program

Brushy Fork Institute of Berea College has partnered with the Community of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, to implement the Institutes new Community Transformation Program. The program combines the Institutes 18 years of experience in leadership and community development with residents enthusiasm and work around community improvement in Big Stone Gap.

When we designed this program, we envisioned partnering with a community that was close to a tipping point, said Peter Hille, Director of Brushy Fork Institute. Big Stone is a community where energy is bubbling and people are ready to move toward positive, long-term transformation.

Bringing the program to a community was as much about the community selecting Brushy Fork as it was about Brushy Fork selecting the community, noted Hille. Brushy Fork staff traveled to Big Stone Gap in late January, where they met with a large group interested in the program. When Big Stone Gap was invited officially to participate in the Community Transformation Program, members of the community gave a resounding yes.

The goal of the Community Transformation Program is to build the capacity in a community to guide the use of resources and tap local energy for positive change. The program will include leadership and community development workshops for residents. Community members will take on team projects in a variety of community sectors.

Along with the team projects, residents will participate in a strategic planning process that pulls together existing and new planning efforts. A core team of residents will coordinate the work in the community and will travel to Berea College in September to attend the Brushy Fork Annual Institute. At the Annual Institute, core team members will gain hands-on skills to use in the Community Transformation Program.

Planning for the Community Transformation Program was underwritten by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations. Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and  healthy communities.

As an outreach program of Berea College, Brushy Fork Institute works to develop strong leadership in the mountains of Appalachia. The Institutes programs promote leadership perspectives and practices that are developmental, collaborative, accountable, ethical and effective. For more information about Brushy Fork Institute, visit http://www.brushyfork.org/ .