Past Projects

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity @ Schuylkill (IDE@S)

IDE@S was a collaborative group of diverse Schuylkill County residents who wished to open a dialogue to encourage a more connected, equitable, inclusive Schuylkill County.

Schuylkill Connects assisted in conducting Town Hall listening sessions to invite community members to have respectful and civil discussions about personal experiences of discrimination in Schuylkill County and the needs in Schuylkill County to address racism and discrimination.

In 2020, a group of Schuylkill County citizens re-established a Schuylkill Chapter of the NAACP (National Advancement of Colored People). Also established the same year, Y.E.S (Youth Empowerment and Support) has paved the way to bring visibility and awareness to the LGBTQIA+ community, for a brighter future for our youth.

Folk Art Project-Walk In Art Center

Schuylkill Connects assisted in facilitating the Walk In Art Center's Folk Art Alliance Project. The intention of the project was to create a regional Folk Art Center for this area of Pennsylvania. The rich folk art heritage in our county and region is unsurpassed. Folklorists Carrie and Michael Kline have strongly recommended that these arts be preserved before they are lost. Further, they recommend that youth be taught the arts so that they can pass them on for generations to come.

The vision for the Project:

• Create a public program that spans the year involving demonstrations and classes by folk artists, a collaborative festival and other public events.
• Create a documentation program to identify and capture the creation of folk art by masters including the context of their education in the art and the larger context and history of the art form.
• Create an education program that brings folk arts into the schools and encourages apprenticeships in the folk arts.
• Offer folk artists a way to participate in gallery shows, sales, demonstrations, and professional development.

To learn more about this exciting project visit folkart.walkinartcenter.org or email folklorist@walkinartcenter.com.

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program

After the successful completion of a planning grant, St. Luke's Hospital-Miners Campus was awarded a 3 year "Rural Communities Opioid Response Implementation Grant" from the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) in 2019. The grant project's goal was to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) in the high-risk communities by strengthening the organizational and infrastructural capacity through a multi-sector consortium. The target population for this project included the students, staff, families and community members of Tamaqua Area School District (TASD), Panther Valley School District (PVSD), Child Development, Inc. (Head Start Schuylkill County program) and PathStone Corporation (Coaldale Head Start program).

Schuylkill Connects, along with St. Luke's Miners, PVSD, TASD, Child Development Inc. (Head Start, Schuylkill County program), Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Program, and Carbon Monroe Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission, was a Consortium Partner for the grant. As a Consortium Partner, Schuylkill Connects implemented evidence-based interventions and promising practice models, such as Trauma Informed Trainings, to expand access to, and strengthen the quality of, SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services in high-risk rural communities. Schuylkill Connects worked closely with the steering committee that meets monthly and includes local nonprofit and grassroots organizations and partners along with community members closely tied to the mission.
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Upon completion of the grant in September of 2022, Schuylkill Connects had assisted in conducting trauma informed training and stigma presentations to over 400 county professionals and community members. Schuylkill Connects staff also attended and participated on the Rural Community Opioid/Substance Response (RCORP) Steering Committee, Schuylkill County Prevention Partnership and Schuylkill County REACH Coalition. Schuylkill Connects provided additional assistance in reaching communities through website and social media content around stigma, prevention, and services.