Empowering Local Leaders

 

Friends near and far,

Would you believe that in just 41 days, Epicenter enters its 10th year of operations? I can hardly believe it myself! Some days it feels like we’re still a scrappy little startup, nimble and experimental to our core. However, most days we know that we’re leaders in our field, able to share our institutional knowledge with our peers. But our 10th year isn’t just about Epicenter. As always, our focus is evolving alongside our growing understanding of our home, and we recognize the need to better empower local leaders within and outside of our organization.

This past year we set the stage for this work, and donors like you made this work happen here in rural Utah. Work that has changed our practice. Work that moves us forward. Work that, like our name implies, will ripple throughout our community.

Artist Jamie Horter of rural Nebraska came and developed a project called Senior Spotlight; this project not only brought the community together through the power of intergenerational storytelling, but also empowered local youth with skills to become leaders in telling the stories of our home. Building on that work, folklorist and Utah native Thomas Richardson recently completed a week of community workshops, teaching documentation and production skills to all ages in our community. The power of self-documentation allows those storytellers to reshape the narrative and shape their own future.

Something long overdue, we hired our first local resident as a permanent staff member, a move that has already built new bridges and changed our day-to-day approach as well as our overall strategic plan. Soon, we’ll offer our access to professional development opportunities to local residents; such as inviting local residents to join us at state and regional housing conferences free of cost. As we move from pre-development into the design and development of our multi-family housing project, a local committee will help shape the process as co-designers.

As we approach our 10th anniversary, come visit us in Green River for a weekend, or, heck, join us as a month-long Frontier Fellow. We can’t wait to show the sights, or if you’re one of our many frequent visitors, we can’t wait to show you everything the community has accomplished together this year.

Scroll down to donate to Epicenter and help us reach our goal of $5,000 for Giving Tuesday, so we can continue to empower local leaders in order to build the future Green River!

Best Wishes,

Maria Sykes
Executive Director

 

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