Our documentary Stories Happen in Forests is enjoying a lot of acclaim, which means more and more people are hearing the powerful message of the beautiful human connection to forests. Most recently our film was announced as an Official Selection at the 2021 Cinema Verde International Environmental Film Festival. Cinema Verde’s mission is to provide environmental education to increase public awareness of environmental practices that enhance public health and improve quality of life in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Stay tuned for more opportunities to watch Stories Happen in Forests!

Stories Happen in Forests Trailer – YouTube

INTRODUCTION: Congratulations, you’ve finished the 21 Day Challenge! Thank you for participating and making this experience so enriching. We hope you learned something new and deepened your commitment to dismantling racism wherever it shows up in your daily life. Although this session of the Challenge has come to an end, the conversation continues and the work is not over! As we see markers like current unemployment numbers and COVID-19 illness and fatalities on the rise, especially among women in Black and brown communities, we ask you to continue this habit-building series with an additional set of resources to close this session of the challenge. It’s widely known that we are in a recession but why is this one different?

WE CHALLENGE YOU TO…

15 mins
Read our op-ed published recently in the Asheville Citizen-Times. Our nation is experiencing the onset of our first female-led recession– more appropriately, a “Shecession”– which was fueled by disappearing service-sector jobs and a lack of child care options.

10 mins
The U.S. lost 140,000 jobs in December, but according to this CNN article, women accounted for all the job losses.

30 mins
The LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and YWCA USA partnered on a research paper entitled “America’s Recovery from the 2020 “Shecession”: Building a Female Future of Childcare and Work,” which details how challenges and systemic inequities are contributing to this economic crisis’ and the disproportionate impact on women. The white paper outlines how national and local policymakers have failed to identify women’s economic security concerns, despite overwhelming support among women, around key areas like childcare, equal pay, and fair workplaces. The authors of the report demonstrate the ways the country’s childcare system is failing parents, children, childcare workers, and the American economy, and raise serious concerns about a future of work that will automate women out of the workforce.

What is the 21 Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge?

Many people are becoming newly aware of how systemic racism and violence are impacting people of color. Even if you are new to the conversation, that is OK. Our 21 Day Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Participants who sign up for the Challenge will receive daily tasks via email to help foster their understanding and awareness, with activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, or reflecting on personal experience. If you’ve already completed this challenge with us in the past please know that our challenge is designed to be taken multiple times by selecting different daily challenges in order to expand what you have previously learned. Follow this link for the resources.

Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) has launched a COVID-19 vaccination waitlist for individuals in the first two phases of the state’s vaccination priority list: adults 65 and older and all health care workers. Individuals can sign up for the waitlist by calling (828) 250-5000 or by going to www.buncombeready.org. As vaccines are received from the state, representatives from the Ready Team will contact individuals on the waitlist via phone to schedule their appointments. We have compiled some frequently asked questions below.

Who can sign up for the waitlist?

Vaccine supplies remain much lower than demand, so waitlist opportunities are only available at this time to those active groups identified by the NCDHHS. If you are over the age of 65 or a health care worker in Buncombe County, you can sign up for the waitlist to receive a COVID vaccine so that you don’t have to keep calling or emailing the department to get an appointment.

The only required information to be added to the waitlist is your name, a reliable way to contact you and that you fall into one of the phases eligible for a vaccine at this time. There is no citizenship status requirements, cost, or insurance information required at any time during the vaccination process.

What happens after I sign up?

Once you are signed up for the waitlist, you will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours. The confirmation email should have your waitlist ID number, your name, telephone number and email address. The waitlist ID number is where you fall on the waitlist based on when you signed up for the waitlist.

As we receive vaccine from the state, we open up appointments. We use the waitlist to schedule our appointments. You can call the Ready Team at (828)250-5000 if you have a question about your waitlist confirmation.

When will I be called?

Once we have an available appointment and reach your spot on the waitlist, a member of the Ready Team will notify you by calling you from the number (828)419-0095.

As we move through the waitlist, our staff will make two attempts to reach you using the contact information that you provide. Please make sure this information is correct.

Once we get to your number on the waitlist you will receive a call from the Ready Team at (828) 419-0095 to schedule your appointment.

Since 1977, the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program has provided North Carolina citizens access to quality arts experiences. Using a per capita based formula, the program provides funding for the arts in all 100 counties of the state through partnerships with local arts councils.

Funding for the 2020-2021 grant cycle will focus on operating expenses for nonprofit arts organizations. Multicultural organizations will receive priority. To be considered an organization of color, the majority of their board and executive leadership must be people of color. No funding match will be required.

The Grassroots Grant Program is made possible by individual and private contributions to the Asheville Area Arts Council’s—and by the Grassroots Arts Program of North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

Another Cuba Trip! We’re excited to announce we have scheduled a second trip to Cuba for June 22nd – July 1, 2021 In the case of trip cancellation, a full refund or roll over of funds paid to future trips will be offered to all registered participants. Flexible payment plans are available.

Opening the Door to Change presents the history of education in Western North Carolina, with a particular emphasis on Madison County, from the mid-nineteenth century through the late twentieth. Here, learning has taken many forms, from in-home instruction, common, subscription, and religious schools, to colleges of farming and craft. The curriculum of these schools, as well as their very construction, and in some cases closing, was deeply entwined with the changing needs and values of the Western North Carolina Appalachian community.

 The exhibition focuses on the dynamic relationship between community values and education, with a special focus on how students and their families navigated the economic, geographic, and racial challenges to education. Trends and changes in curriculum, assessment, and classroom design will also be explored.

The virtual exhibition will feature didactic panels showcasing a survey of schools within Madison County and highlighting the effect community values had on the curriculum, function, and format of these institutions. Online visitors may also get a sneak-peak at an original film, produced by the Museum, presenting the oral histories of several Madison County residents sharing their personal recollections and memories of past school-days.

Additional films will spotlight the Historic Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School and Laurel School, with first-hand accounts from former students and teachers.

This virtual exhibition is sponsored by the Madison County Tourism and Development Authority.

The pandemic has been really hectic for all of us, but we know it’s been especially hard for the education world. At RiverLink we recognize all of the effort and sacrifices teachers have gone through, and we want to help!

Our RiverRATS program works to virtually engage your students in topics related to water quality. Whether it’s stormwater, erosion, macroinvertebrates or any other river-centric topic you need to cover, our educators are here to help! Some examples of possible programming include:

• Microscope Macros: Using our digital microscopes we can take a close look at the body parts of various stream dwelling macroinvertebrates and discuss how they fit within stream ecosystems.
• Pre-Recorded Video Lessons: We’ve created a couple videos using our interactive stormwater and stream table models. Our educators can share these with your class and facilitate a discussion afterwards.
• Ask an Expert: Let your students lead the lesson and ask any burning questions they might have about rivers or water quality. We can also coordinate with City of Asheville staff, other environmental groups, and local scientists to have them join your class as well.

Our program is mainly focused on working with grades 3rd-8th; however, adjustments can be made to cater our content to grades K-12 as well.

If you’d like to schedule a virtual lesson with us or discuss other ways we could engage with your students, you can send us an email at [email protected].