This year, the SHECP Internship Academy will run from May 30th to June 1st. On June 1st, SHECP will host two general sessions that everyone is welcome to attend. We will begin at 10:00am ET with an address from Dr. Jennifer Sherman, Professor of Sociology at Washington State University and President-Elect of the Rural Sociological Society. At 11:15am we will be joined by a panel of community leaders from Shamokin, Pennsylvania to learn about their collaborative revitalization efforts in their community.
Date: Thursday, June 1, 2023
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:15 PM ET
Who Should Attend: This event is open to the entire SHECP community.
Keynote Address – Dr. Jennifer Sherman
"Rural Poverty & Inequality: Processes, Mechanisms, and Discourses"
Dr. Sherman (she/her) is Professor of Sociology at Washington State University. Her qualitative research focuses on poverty and inequality, mainly in the rural Northwest. She is the author of two books, 2009’s Those Who Work, Those Who Don’t: Poverty, Morality, and Family in Rural America, and 2021’s Dividing Paradise: Rural Inequality and the Diminishing American Dream (2021). She also coedited the 2017 volume, Rural Poverty in the United States. Full bio • Website
Panel Discussion – Go Shamokin!
Collaboration & Community Revitalization
The City of Shamokin sits on the western edge of the Anthracite Coal Region in central Pennsylvania. After the loss of much of the coal industry and the area’s two railroads, Shamokin’s population plummeted. In 2020, the Census estimated there were fewer than 7,000 people living in Shamokin and that 32.9% of the population were living below the poverty line. Now, various groups and agencies have committed to working together to build on Shamokin’s sense of community to make a plan for economic revitalization. These groups include Shamokin City Council, SEDA – Council of Governments, the Faith Alliance for Revitalization, Shamokin Area Business for Economic Revitalization, the US EPA’s Office for Environmental Justice, AmeriCorps VISTA program, Bucknell University, Susquehanna Valley United Way, and more.
Panelists will discuss the work happening in Shamokin and also talk more broadly about the unique challenges and opportunities that come with collaborating with such a broad range of agencies and community organizations.
Panelists:
Betsy Kramer, Revitalization Coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments
Maggie McConnell, AmeriCorps Environmental Resiliency VISTA
Lisa Roszko, SABER (Shamokin Area Businesses for Economic Revitalization)
Susan Ward, FAR (Faith Alliance for Revitalization) Better Together
Watch recording>> (coming soon)
The full, virtual SHECP Internship Academy will run from May 30th to June 1st. During that time, interns will complete online asynchronous training modules and living cohorts will have an opportunity to meet each other.
Contact jen.handy@shepherdconsortium.org if you have any questions or would like further information.