UNC Asheville “Facing Project” to examine community issue of affordable housing

From UNC Asheville:

UNC Asheville “Facing Project” to Examine Community Issue of Affordable Housing

UNC Asheville will be one of five colleges and universities in North Carolina to carry out a “facing project” beginning this fall, examining a community issue through the collection and sharing of individual stories.

UNC Asheville’s project will “face” the issue of affordable housing in the community. A national nonprofit called the Facing Project facilitates and supports these community-building efforts.

The Facing Project approach shares the stories of local people through the talent of writers and actors. Writers interview community members who are facing the issue and capture their stories in the first-person. The accounts are then compiled as a book and brought to life on stage through a community theatre event.

UNC Asheville and other participating North Carolina schools are all members of North Carolina Campus Compact, a coalition of 36 public and private colleges and universities dedicated to improving community life and educating students for civic responsibility. Chancellor Mary K. Grant is vice-chair of the national Campus Compact organization’s board of directors.

The Compact partnered with the Facing Project to select the five North Carolina schools through a competitive application process. Other participating campuses with projects launching this fall are Guilford College, UNC Wilmington, Winston-Salem State University, and Western Piedmont Community College. Schools chose a topic relevant to their local community, and preference was given to campuses that looked to focus on issues related to poverty or diversity.

Selected institutions receive a resource package including “The Facing Project Toolkit,” a 70-page guide with sample projects, consent forms and other materials. Participating schools also receive web hosting to display the project, training for campus writers and website content managers, and expert consultation with a Facing Project coach and editing team.

The Facing Project was co-founded by Indiana Campus Compact Executive Director J.R. Jamison, along with author Kelsey Timmerman. Since its founding in 2012, The Facing Project has previously worked with 30 communities in eight states and two countries and has been hailed by The Huffington Post as one of three oral history projects to watch. The new projects beginning this fall will bring the Facing Project to 70 new communities.