Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT), based in Brooksville, Maine, has received a $10,000 grant from the Kay E. Dopp Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The funds will facilitate two statewide projects. AWTT will create links between AWTT’s portraits of “Models of Courageous Citizenship” and the Maine Common Core requirements as it continues a series of professional development workshops for Maine middle and high school teachers. The workshops teach how to employ AWTT portraits, biographies and resources to address untaught aspects of American history, engage and empower students in their communities, and improve classroom performance.
Teachers, schools and school districts interested in participating in or hosting a workshop should contact Connie Carter or Rob Shetterly (contact info below).
“This grant will help AWTT continue its work with Maine teachers and students and achieve one of our primary objectives, which is to close the ‘Civic Engagement Gap’ for young, poor, and rural youth by teaching our students the importance of citizenship and empowering them to be active participants in a democracy. You are never too young to make a difference in your community,” says Robert Shetterly, the artist and founder of AWTT.
Education innovator, Connie Carter, founder of Operation Breaking Stereotypes, works with AWTT to develop its teacher training workshops and will coordinate and facilitate the upcoming professional development series during the 2013-2014 school year.
Once it is finalized, a schedule of workshops will be posted on the AWTT website, www.americanswhotellthetruth.org.
The AWTT project began in 2002, when Shetterly painted portraits of Walt Whitman and Sojourner Truth. The portraits – now numbering more than 190 – have been exhibited in schools, universities, and community centers in 27 states and Washington, D.C., where they engage and challenge viewers to be active citizens in a democracy.
Robert Shetterly / robert at americanswhotellthetruth.org / (207) 326-8459
Connie Carter / conniecarter21 at gmail.com / (207) 576-8000