About Brushy Fork
The Work of Brushy Fork Institute
I’ve seen programs come and go here, but whatever happened when those folks went to Berea really made a difference. They’re a solid group. It wouldn’t have happened without Brushy Fork.
McDowell County, West Virginia resident
Since 1988, Brushy Fork Institute has worked to develop strong leadership in Appalachian communities throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio. An outreach program of Berea College, the Institute offers leadership training, organizational development workshops and technical assistance to communities working for a better tomorrow.
Brushy Fork offered the first Annual Institute in 2005 and based the program on seventeen years of experience operating an award-winning Leadership Development Program for Appalachian community leaders. Now in its fourth year, the Annual Institute serves as a regional model for a self-sustaining, open training venue designed to build the capacity of nonprofits and community-based organizations in central Appalachia.
Brushy Fork continues its work with communities through the Community Transformation Program, which we piloted in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, in 2006. This program’s ambitious title expresses our belief that the citizens of Appalachian communities have the wisdom, the vision and the commitment to guide the development of their own communities and achieve dramatic results. We have expanded the Community Transformation Program and now include teams from Kentucky and West Virginia. These teams attend the Annual Institute, where they begin to lay plans for community development efforts. Meanwhile, Brushy Fork explores ways to provide technical assistance and leverage the resources that will carry forward the efforts that come from within these communities.
The Mission of Brushy Fork Institute
For more than one hundred years, Berea College has served the people of Appalachia. The Brushy Fork Institute carries forward this commitment by working to develop strong leadership in the mountains. Working with both existing and emerging leaders, we draw on local understanding and vision to help communities build for tomorrow.
Goals of Brushy Fork Institute
- To increase the number of people taking leadership responsibility in the Central Appalachian region at the community, county and regional levels.
- To promote leadership perspectives and practices that are developmental, cooperative, accountable, ethical and effective.
- To help communities articulate their vision and build on their own history, strengths and creativity to achieve their vision.
- To promote networking among community leaders and regional organizations.
- To increase the participation of leaders from traditionally under-represented groups.
- To strengthen the contributions of other Berea College programs to the development of Central Appalachian leaders and communities.
- To share leadership and community development ideas and strategies regionally, nationally and globally.
