Whole Community Connection invites applications from existing community-academic partnerships advancing health and well-being in Edgecombe or Robeson County. Selected teams participate in leadership development and receive funding to implement community-led solutions. The call for applications closes Sept. 15.
Whole Community Connection (WCC) is a leadership program for existing community-academic partners working in Edgecombe or Robeson County. Selected teams participate in one year of leadership development focused on building relationships for collective and community-led action and receive $45,000 in project funding.
WCC seeks applications from teams of four collaborators including two Edgecombe or Robeson County community members and two University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty or researchers from any of the 13 Schools. Interested teams should review the application process and submit their applications by the September 15 deadline. All applications will be reviewed and virtual interviews will be scheduled with finalists in October. Selected teams start the program in January 2024 and benefit from:
- $45,000 to implement their community work in Edgecombe or Robeson County
- Enhanced leadership skills and tools for advancing health equity
- New, diverse, and growing connections to improve health and further systems change
- Additional support from UNC-CH interprofessional students
“Through Whole Community Connection, I learned that strong relationships are the foundation of effective community partnerships,” said Morgan Parlier, clinical social work faculty at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD). Parlier was part of the 2022 Cohort team working to increase sexual health equity and reduce sexual violence in the IDD community. “We all have something to teach and we all have something to learn.”
Veronica Kay Freeman of the Coharie / Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and transfer coordinator at Robeson Community College is one of the program’s community advisors.
“I am thankful for WCC,” Freeman said. “What I have found is that this style of leadership is the most natural choice for me as a community advocate and aspiring leader. It includes the holistic team approach to leading and the idea that the value of leadership is derived from the value of its common members.”
The Whole Community Connection curriculum has been intentionally designed by leaders from UNC Rural, the Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice, and an advisory board of community partners from Edgecombe and Robeson County. This work is supported by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in alignment with the strategic plan for the University, Carolina Next: Innovations for Public Good. Specifically, the initiative to Serve to Benefit Society reinforces the University’s commitment to direct innovation towards economic and social development across the state.
Applications are due by Sept. 15. To apply, visit: wcc.unc.edu/apply.