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Facilitating Community Discussions Webinar
September 20 at 2 PM
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A video to help your community start talking about the future
Learn about WV's economy, meet some WV entrepreneurs, and get an overview of the What's Next discussion structure. When your community holds their What's Next...Read more
The Day of Waiting for Something to Happen Is Over
When we sat down with Sheila Combs last fall to talk about "What's Next" for West Virginia, we knew immediately that we had found a powerful voice for community improvement and change. Sheila is...Read more
SPOTLIGHT: What's Next, Huntington?—A Connected Economy
Listening to the ideas and insights that tumble out when J. Deacon Stone of Coalfield Development...Read more
SPOTLIGHT: What's Next, Huntington?—Education Is "Our Heart and Soul"
It may be cliché, but it's true: young people are the future of West Virginia. That’s why it’s so important that they be included in conversations about the economic future of our...Read more
SPOTLIGHT: What's Next, Huntington?—A Place People Want to Be
Valerie Bandell may have just recently moved to Huntington, WV, but it didn’t take her long to get involved in its vibrant community life. She’s a member of the planning team for “What’s...Read more
SPOTLIGHT: What's Next, Clay County?
Early one morning this past January, two Clay County school busses pulled up at the state capitol complex in Charleston. Inside were members of the group “What’s Next, Clay County?”, one...Read more
What's Next WV Summer Regional Workshops
The WV Center for Civic Life held two training workshops for What's Next this summer; one in Rupert in May, and one in Summersville in July. The sites were chosen as part of our 2017 effort to help flood-affected communities rebuild their civic capacity; each drew over 40 participants from around the state.
In Rupert, the Center trained members of the Meadow River Valley Initiative steering team in the basics of public dialogue, as well as the What's Next process. Participants from nearby counties also found out more about bringing What's Next to their own...Read more
What's Next for WV Artists?
On Saturday, February 11th, over 100 artist-entrepreneurs from around the state gathered in Flatwoods for a “Think Tank” led by the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts...Read more
Bipartisan Boots to Business Bill Introduced
An article by Whitney Burdette in the Charleston Daily Mail explores how proposed legislation could benefit veterans and West Virginia's economy.
“When their businesses succeeds, the state of West Virginia succeeds as well,” Natalie Tennant said. The proposed Boots to Business Bill would help veterans start their own...Read more
Getting to Know The Power+ Plan
By now you may have heard about a little something called the "Power+ Plan." If not, it's time to get educated! Because it's geared directly toward communities that have been impacted by a downturn in the coal industry, communities that need resources to help shape the next chapter of their...Read more
What Can We Learn from Wheeling Youth?
What's Next, WV? Appalachian Transition Fellow Catherine Moore recently spent four days in Wheeling, WV compiling a multimedia project about the young, friendly city. Writer Steve Novotney featured photos and an interview with Moore on weelunk.com. Weelunk provides Wheeling residents with "honest accounting of what’s...Read more