10/26/04
The State Historic Preservation Office of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History is announcing that there is still time to become a cosponsor in 
  the Share Your Heritage Workshop program, which is designed to bring together 
  community representatives to address key cultural heritage tourism challenges. 
  The workshops are a partnership effort between the National Trust for Historic 
  Preservations’s Heritage Tourism Program and a local cosponsor. Completed 
  applications for local workshop hosts must be postmarked by Friday, Nov. 19.
  Non-profit organizations or governmental agencies are eligible to apply as the 
  lead cosponsor in the project. A steering committee including the lead cosponsor 
  and four other broad-based organizations is recommended to provide diverse perspectives. 
  Partners should include at least one arts organization. 
  The workshop is ideal for communities that have recently inventoried cultural 
  resources and are developing a cultural heritage tourism plan or launching a 
  cultural heritage tourism effort. The workshop goals include developing a better 
  understanding of cultural heritage tourism; providing cross-discipline training; 
  encouraging innovative solutions through problem solving exercises; providing 
  networking and partnership building opportunities; fostering stronger leadership 
  and a team approach; and providing cultural heritage tourism development tools 
  to key leaders.
  Local cosponsors must provide at least $15,000 in in-kind or cash investment 
  toward the workshop and associated costs. Share Your Heritage assistance will 
  provide two national speakers for the workshop, including transportation to 
  the airport nearest the workshop site; honorarium costs; developing training 
  materials and preparing a master copy for duplication; completing federal reporting 
  requirements; and compiling a brief action plan in written and electronic format.
  The Share Your Heritage initiative is looking for local cosponsors that represent 
  diverse geographic areas and programmatic issues for cultural heritage tourism. 
  Preference will be given to applications from rural areas, projects with a strong 
  arts component and projects that benefit communities.
  Four workshops will receive national support in 2005, and announcement of the 
  winners is anticipated in January 2005. Funding for the program is provided 
  by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U. S. Department of Agriculture 
  Rural Development Office of Community Development.
  For more information about the Share Your Heritage Workshops, call (303) 413-1986, 
  or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Applications can be downloaded at http://www.nationaltrust.org.
  The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia 
  Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, 
  present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and 
  history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Visit the Division’s 
  website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. 
  The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 
  Employer.
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