Workshops, Webinars, Training
Teaching, Equipping, Empowering
Leadership Chatuge Community Builders, Class VII: Mondays, February 5 – April 22, 2024 — Registration Opens October 1, 2023
Live or work in Clay, Cherokee, or Towns counties and want to see your community thrive? Leadership Chatuge Community Builders provides a solid foundation for you to be a more knowledgeable and effective leader in our rural mountain area. Topics for this 12-week course include: personal leadership styles, regional economic development and opportunities, local history and Appalachian culture, community supports, understanding social determinants of health, and much more. Highlights include speakers who are experts in their fields, networking opportunities, resources, and engaging presentations. Becoming more knowledgeable in these areas will prepare and equip participants to serve more effectively and confidently as community builders.
- For adults and high school students in Clay and Cherokee counties (NC) and Towns County, GA.
- For employers, this is a great opportunity to help new employees get acquainted with the community.
- Class size limited for optimal instruction and interaction.
- 12 weeks; Mondays, 5:30pm-8:30pm; at Hinton Rural Life Center, Hayesville, NC.
- Early-bird tuition cost of $375, if register by December 31, includes speakers, weekly dinners, and supplies; some partial scholarships are available. After December 31, 2023, the registration fee is $425, so register early!
- Applications available on-line by clicking HERE and at Hinton’s administration office.
- Apply for scholarships by emailing jackie@hintoncenter.org by January 10, 2024. Include why you are interested in taking the class. You will be notified by January 15 if a scholarship will be provided.
- Applications due and on-line registration closes at midnight on January 26, 2024.
- If you or your organization wish to be a sponsor of Leadership Chatuge Community Builders, click HERE.
For information on scholarships, to obtain an application, or for more information, email jackie@hintoncenter.org .
Past presenters/speakers have included:
- History of the region from historian Jerry Taylor
- President and CEO Patrick Woodie from The NC Rural Center
- Erik Brinke of BRMEMC
- Sara Thompson of Dogwood Health Trust on the intricacies of economic development in our region
- District Attorney Ashley Welch and Assistant District Attorney John Hindsman
- Amanda McGee, director of social services in Cherokee County
- Dr. Dawn Grinenko of The Still Place on early childhood development
- Margarita Gonzalez of Dogwood Health Trust on adverse childhood experiences and social determinants of health
- Hinton Center’s Rev. Dawn Martin, leading a rural poverty simulation
- Dr. Jennifer Hallett of Young Harris College on effective communication
- Mayor Liz Ordiales of Hiawassee
- Mayor Tim Radford of Murphy
- Cherokee County School Superintendent Dr. Jeana Connelly
- Dr. Carol Burton, vice provost for academic affairs at Western Carolina University
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training
Upcoming Trainings — Registration is closed!
MHFA Virtual Trainings for Adults
- Saturday, Sept. 23, 9:30 am – 4 pm EST. Register by Sept. 20.
- Monday, Sept. 25, 9:30 am – 4 pm EST. Register by Sept. 20.
- Cost is $45/person and includes training materials, preparation work, access to manual, and virtual training session.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE? Employers, pastors, church members, nonprofit employees, first responders, care and service providers, health care workers, volunteers, those in caring relationships with other adults.
- Participants will complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course prior to the Zoom training, led by Hinton Rural Life Center’s Dawn Martin and Karen Kluever.
- For the virtual training, participants should have access to a computer and internet connection.
Youth MHFA Virtual Training, for adults who work with youth
- Thursday, Sept. 28, 9:30 am – 3 pm EST. Register by Sept. 20.
- Cost is $45/person and includes training materials, preparation work, access to manual, and virtual training session.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE? Youth leaders, coaches, parents and grandparents, educators, mentors, those who employ/supervise young people, and others who care about them.
- Participants will complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course prior to the Zoom training, led by Hinton Center’s Dawn Martin and Karen Kluever.
- For the virtual training, participants should have access to a computer and internet connection.
Want to schedule a MHFA training session for adults in your community, church, school, or other organization?
Two courses are available: Adult MHFA and Youth MHFA (for parents/guardians and adults who work with youth, such as teachers, coaches, church youth leaders, etc.). Participants will learn how to recognize signs of a mental health crisis or issue and be equipped to respond appropriately in offering support and connecting individuals with the help needed.
Training options include virtual, on-site, and combination. Hinton staff can offer on-site training at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC, or at your location (host covers travel//lodging expenses). For details, see the flyers below and/or email info@hintoncenter.org .
Hinton Resources Available by Link or Order …
Free Webinar Video: “Wesley, Racism, and Anti-Slavery”
Click HERE
From the early days of his ministry, Methodism founder John Wesley was a staunch abolitionist. Professing that all humans are made in the image of God, he worked continually to end slavery, offer salvation to all, and spread scriptural holiness. This webinar, led by Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith*, explores how Wesley’s anit-slavery writings can inform and inspire our anti-racist work today.
Free Webinar Video: “How Methodists Respond to Disease & Pandemic Through Music, Art, & Poetry”
Throughout their history, Methodists have responded in many ways to diseases and outbreaks. This webinar, led by Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith*, focuses on their responses through song, poetry, art, and craft, inspiring participants to reflect on artistic responses to our current pandemic crisis.
Webinar Series
Bird Feeders and Pie Pans: Pandemic, Faith & the Rural Community
Order HERE.
This digital, 5-session resource (on a USB drive) includes videos of the live webinars, PowerPoint presentations, pdfs of the PowerPoint slides, and a discussion guide. Use for small group study, Sunday school class, or other ministry team program.
Just as there are multiple, creative responses to birds in gardens, rural folk have the potential to respond to their COVID-19 realities and the fallout from this disease. Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith* explores those realities and guides participants in considering some uniquely Christian and rural ways in which to respond.
*Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith has undergraduate and master’s degrees in Christian Education from Pfeiffer University and a PhD from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Christian Education and Congregational Studies, with a focus on rural ministry. He is an online instructor for Garrett and Wesley Theological Seminary and teaches Rural Ministry certification courses through BeADisciple.com. Jonathan lives outside of Hickory, North Carolina.