Jaime Kinder and the grassroots revolution in Meadville
Meadville’s PA Heart & Soul process wasn’t a quick fix, but it gave residents a voice and the confidence to demand change in their community. That shift in mindset helped elect new leaders, including Mayor Jaime Kinder, and sparked people-centered policies that continue to reshape the town.
Reflections on a summer with PA Humanities
By Lucy Corrie-Tannen (PA Humanities intern, Haverford College) If there’s one moment from this summer that will stick with me, it’s this one: sitting in my room, phone pressed to my ear, interviewing a middle schooler who participated in a PA Humanities program. “I would really like to do the Culture with Cooking sessions again,”…
Bratwurst and egg rolls: cultural cooking sessions spark connection at Norristown library
This past year, the teens of the Youth-Led Humanities program at the Montgomery-County Norristown Public Library took a hands-on approach to cultural learning. Every other week, they gathered to make recipes from different
cultures together and share the diverse traditions tied to food. These cooking sessions allowed them to connect with their own family history, forge intercultural connections, and build community together.
Voices of History: Stories of family
Welcome to Voices of History, a PA Humanities project inspired by the works of renowned playwright August Wilson and designed to showcase the voices of everyday Black Pennsylvanians. In these videos, you’ll hear remembrances and reflections on family, and the many ways in which family nourishes us, inspires us, protects us and gives us a home, in every sense of the word.
Communities, partners gather to celebrate 10 years of Heart & Soul
For the past decade, PA Humanities’ partnership with Community Heart & Soul has shown how a simple but powerful process rooted in storytelling and resident-driven planning can change lives and transform communities. By creating space for people to share their stories, recognize their own expertise, and build shared values, Heart & Soul has helped towns across Pennsylvania foster deeper connections, spark new leadership, and shape more inclusive, vibrant futures.
Brandywine Library teens turn book discussions into real-world mental health action
Inspired by their book selections and a growing interest in mental health awareness, seven teens who are part of PA Humanities’ Youth-Led Humanities programming at Brandywine Library completed Teen Mental Health First Aid Training. The program gives high school students the tools to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in themselves and their peers.