Summer Hometown Walkabout Youth Immersion Program Details + Schedule
For Rising 10th—2022 High School Graduates
Want to learn more about racial and ethnic diversity in Burke County?
Here’s your chance to hear great stories from real people in our community. You’ll visit local cultural sites and eat some amazing food. You’ll build new networks and relationships with young people across the county. AND you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a service activity!
July 11-15, 2022
10am–4pm
Location: The Industrial Commons, 647 Hopewell Road, Morganton, NC
Participants must have transportation to and from The Industrial Commons. Transportation provided during program hours.
COST: $100 (full scholarships provided)
Contact: leslie@theindustrialcommons.org | (828) 403-8160
What is the program about?
Hometown Walkabout (HTW) is a program of The Industrial Commons (TIC), and our mission is to raise awareness of racial and cultural diversity in Burke County, NC through arts-based tours and facilitated conversations that present, promote, and celebrate local communities and advance inclusivity. To that end, we are offering a one-week immersion experience for a cohort of twelve rising 10th-12th graders that will develop cultural awareness, knowledge, and appreciation through facilitated explorations of local history that broaden knowledge and present ethnically diverse narratives.
Program goals are to:
Examine and expand personal knowledge and understanding of history through traditional and diverse lenses
Develop and deepen cultural/ethnic knowledge, awareness, and appreciation by engaging with stories of local people
HTW Summer Youth Immersion will help participants develop communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, information literacy, flexibility, and leadership skills. Participants will also grow needed cultural competencies and acquire an understanding of their community that they can share with family, peers, and community. HTW will inform, affirm, and value the varied ethnicities of local youth and their families.
“I’ve realized the future is bright, hopeful and full of change.”
—Allison. NCSSM Student and Hometown Walkabout Participant, 2022
Facilitators
Dr. Leslie McKesson, Facilitator, is Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for TIC. She holds three graduate degrees from Appalachian State University and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Her doctoral studies and personal research centered on marginalized groups. An experienced community college and university instructor, administrator, presenter, and group facilitator, she has developed and delivered training, program curricula and other learning experiences for all age groups for more than 30 years. She is a member of the North Caroliniana Society and is a Commissioner for the NC African American Heritage Commission.
Ms. Tea Yang is the Values and Culture Manager for TIC. She is a graduate of Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC) and UNC-Chapel Hill and holds a BA in Communications - Media Studies and Production. She is a WPCC trustee and serves on the Board for the NC Employee Ownership Center. She has been a longtime champion of preserving Hmong history and the plight of refugees through oral history and guest speaking roles.
Presenters
Burke County storytellers from a pre-selected and vetted rotating list will share their lived experiences to present their unique perspectives as African American, European, Asian/Hmong, and Latinx members of the local community.