The Details

If you've been to a Try This Conference, you'll know one of the three rules is "Go With the Flow". That means that when things don't go as expected, we take a deep breath, pause...and find the next best step to take.

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But nothing could have prepared us, our partners, or our community members for the sweeping cuts to AmeriCorps by DOGE last week.

It takes a lot of time and energy and people to pull off the Conference every year. We often have over 20 AmeriCorps members, in addition to other volunteers, to make it work. And when the news came down that the greatest helpers in our state were targeted, we knew we needed to meet the moment and help them in return.

That's why we are inviting folks to WV Wesleyan College on Friday, June 6 for a one-day event designed to accomplish two goals:

• Provide direct support to AmeriCorps and VISTA members who've had their lives upended, like resume clinics, job search help, and other trainings

• Start brainstorming collective strategies to navigate the impact these cuts will have across the state, like troubleshooting options for filling the financial and staff gaps

Try This doesn't have the answers. No one organization does. But we're convening as many folks as we can to identify a path forward to support our helpers and to protect the value of AmeriCorps to West Virginia. We need the workforce development, leadership building, education opportunities, and civil service fostered by the AmeriCorps model to grow thriving communities across our state.

Want to know if you should come? The answer is probably yes! These are the folks we want to bring to the table to brainstorm, provide resources, identify what's working, and spend a lot of time listening. Here's who will bring the most to this event:

• All AmeriCorps and VISTA members who have been terminated, are still serving, or have served our state in the past (cut and currently serving members are eligible for travel reimbursement, and terminated members will receive a $50 stipend)

• Any organizations impacted by these cuts, either by losing members, programs, or partners

• Funders, either individual or foundation-based, who want to hear what the landscape is for the communities they love, directly from those impacted

• Partners with resources to help these helpers support themselves and find what's next for them

• Media members, political advocates, and impacted community members ready to amplify the voices of impacted West Virginians

This pivot is sudden, and is still being planned, but the number of partners pitching in to facilitate this Conference is inspiring. We wish we had the time to identify all of them here. The list continues to grow - and maybe you'll join us next. We will send updates with more concrete details soon, but we anticipate the day to run from 9:00am-5:30pm with lots of built-in breaks, with the Celebrating Healthy WV recognition dinner to follow from 6:00-7:30pm for anyone who wants to participate.

Please don't wait to share ideas with us, or to pass this along to your networks. Because while the future is unclear, one thing is certain that Try This has believed from the start: It's Up to All of Us

Have questions? Want to volunteer? Have a resource an AmeriCorps could use? Want to set up a table with helpful information? Please reach out to Brittney Barlett at director@trythiswv.com to find ways you can help the helpers.