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The Kentucky Community Scholars Program Summary of Program Activities as of May 2005 The purpose of the Kentucky Folklife Program’s Community Scholars Program is  to provide individuals with training in basic concepts of folklife to enable them to identify, document, archive, and present the folk traditions and tradition bearers of their own communities; to provide continuing support to graduates of the programs as they undertake projects utilizing their skills as community scholars; and to develop a network of community scholars and folklorists. History Appalachian Heritage Highways program 9/00-9/01 Paintsville project in partnership with Southeast Kentucky Tourism Development Association and Route 23 Cultural Heritage Network – 2003 Estill County project in partnership with Estill Arts Council– 2003 Covington project in partnership with Covington Community Center 2003 Elk Country Corridor project in partnership with Southeast Kentucky Tourism Development Association –2004 Cynthiana project in partnership with Cynthiana Renaissance -2004 Bowling Green project with community organizers -2005 Certification Requirements:  Participants attend six workshops (one per month) and complete reading and fieldwork assignments in order to learn folklife concepts (folk groups, genres) and skills including fieldwork (field notes, interviews and documentary photography), archiving, interpretation, and presentation (narrative stage, exhibit and signage).  Most participants attend the Kentucky Folklife Festival and participate in the Very Important Presenters workshop.  They develop an individual or group project and present the proposal for evaluation. Spin-off projects Community scholars developed the Family Folklife panels that are used at the KY Folklife Festival and loaned out across the state. Community scholars have had exhibits and demonstrations in the Community Scholar tents of the KY Folklife Festival since 2001. Community scholars partnered with the KY Folklife Program, the KY Craft Market, Appalachian Heritage Highways, the KY Historical Society and Arts Kentucky to develop resources to enable community festivals in small, low-income communities to improve the quality and authenticity of local festivals.  They received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Appalachian Regional Commission.  Community scholars work with numerous local festivals and tourism commissions to incorporate folklife into community and cultural economic development. Community Scholars have applied for and received grants from the Kentucky Folklife Program for community festivals to add folklife components to their festival activities. Community scholars work with the Stringbean Memorial Mountain Music Festival in Jackson County and have added numerous interpretive components including signage, docents, narrative stage, and a school resource guide.  They have initiated a youth mentoring program. Community scholars identified local folk artists and worked with them to be included in the KY Artisan Heritage Trails promotion campaign. Community scholars initiated ork with the Eastern Kentucky Storytelling Guild to conserve the mountain tradition of storytelling as part of family and community life.  They coordinated the Double Creek Storytelling Festival. Community scholars have implemented junior community scholar programs at elementary and middle schools and in after school settings.  Resource guides are under development. Community scholars initiated the Heritage Youth Network to provide direct interaction between youth and master folk artists in their communities including workshops and mentoring projects.   RETURN TO TOP RETURN TO COMMUNITY SCHOLARS MAIN PAGE