Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2017, Ridgelines teaches and celebrates language arts that lift up underheard voices in the ridges and valleys of central PA. Founded as a 501c3 in 2017, Ridgelines Language Arts provides expert language arts instruction to those who are impacted by stigma and injustice in the rural ridges and valleys of central Pennsylvania. Our programs–from poetry and storytelling to songwriting and journaling—take place in settings outside of academic institutions, including our area’s domestic violence shelter, low-income nursing home, youth detention center, state women’s prison, q***r & trans youth groups, & more. Through in-depth language arts workshops led by professional Teaching Artists, participants gain ways to explore their voices and their stories, exercise creative agency, and advocate for personal wellbeing and social change. We offer these programs because we believe that healthy individuals and just social conditions are sustained by the reflection, honesty, pleasure, and intimacy fostered by the study of language arts. GOALS: Ridgelines’ programs have these goals: 1) To increase participants’ language arts skills and to foster the pleasure, health, social connectedness, and empowerment that the practice of language arts brings; and 2) To lift up participants’ voices within central PA and to ensure that our region’s language arts run strong with many voices, stories, and imaginations. EVENTS: We create ways for our program participants to share their work through readings, performances, and other community events. We also occasionally host open writing workshops and fundraiser readings to benefit our core programs, and we partner with other organizations in our region to create informal ways for people from all walks of life to enjoy diverse language arts. PUBLICATIONS: We design and publish broadsides and chapbooks that feature the work of our program participants. We share our publications through local libraries, coffee shops, community centers, living rooms, stores, museums, and other gathering spaces. ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION & RESOURCES: If there are technologies or services that would make any of our events more accessible for you or someone you know—for example large print materials, audio descriptions, or sign language interpretation—please let us know! You can submit accommodation requests at any time to [email protected]. We are more than happy to provide these and other services upon request. GRANTORS & SUPPORTERS: Ridgelines' 2024 programs are supported in part by the Centre Foundation’s Janet Atwood Fund; by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; by a Community Partnership with 3 Dots Downtown; and by a 2024 Challenge America award from the NEA. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov. ArtsHERE is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. We are also supported by generous donations from individuals, community organizations, and local businesses.
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