The Facing Project

July 15, 2016

Wisconsin Campus Compact is excited to announce a new partnership with The Facing Project, a nonprofit that connects people through stories to strengthen communities. The Facing Project was co-founded by Indiana Campus Compact Executive Director J.R. Jamison, along with New York Times bestselling author Kelsey Timmerman.The Facing Project works with campuses and communities to organize and share the stories of citizens through the talent of local writers and actors. Writers are matched with community members facing the selected topic (depression, hunger, homelessness, etc.), meet with them face-to-face, and capture their stories in the first-person. The stories are compiled into a book and brought to life on stage through a community theatre event.

Since its founding in 2012, The Facing Project has worked with 30 communities / campuses in eight states and two countries and been hailed by The Huffington Post as one of three oral history projects to watch.

As a member campus of Wisconsin Campus Compact, you have the opportunity to win a Facing Project for your campus/community. Together, Wisconsin Campus Compact and The Facing Project will select up to five campuses to receive:

  • The Facing Project Toolkit – The Toolkit is a guide to help campuses / communities plan and launch their Facing Project from A to Z. The 70+ page Toolkit consists of examples, worksheets, checklists, consent forms, recruitment flyers, and other templates.
  • Web Hosting – Each campus / community receives their own website, with their own unique URL, through The Facing Project that tells their community’s story and connects them to other campuses/communities around the world doing Facing Projects. The Facing Project will host this website for one year.
  • Web Site Training – Training on how to access the site and upload content.
  • Writer Training – Facing Project staff train all project writers.
  • Connectors – Each campus / community is assigned a Facing Project expert who walks organizers through the Toolkit, is available for questions/brainstorming, and is their liaison with the Facing Project HQ throughout the project development.
  • Editors – Each campus/community is assigned a Facing HQ editing team who reviews each project’s stories and provides feedback.

This $1,500 value is yours for FREE if your campus is one of the five selected!

Submit a one-page abstract to jrjamiso {at} iupui(.)edu by Friday, July 22, 2016, using the following outline as your guide.

  • Contact information for project coordinator
  • Why is your campus / community interested in The Facing Project?
  • How will the Facing Project impact your campus and community?
  • What topic does your campus/community plan to face? (e.g., Facing
  • Homelessness, Facing Depression, etc.)
  • Who will be a community partner with your campus on the project? (e.g., nonprofits, Mayor’s councils, etc.)
  • Who will be internal partners on the project? (e.g., campus clubs, departments / courses, etc.)
  • How do you envision sharing your project with Wisconsin Campus Compact?
  • What will be the timeline for your project?
  • How do you plan to use the stories to create community conversations beyond the book launch?

How to start a Facing Project