Sponsor a Teacher
Last month, Samantha Kirkley, the Institute Co-Director, received an official communication from NEH, which read: “We regret to inform you that this NEH [Institutes or Landmarks] program will no longer be offered due to DOGE’s termination of the grant award.” This funding termination occurred after the application deadline and after applicants were notified of their acceptance into the Institute.
Despite the disappointment of losing the funding, Project Archaeology explored options to offer the Institute. We surveyed the 200 teachers who applied for the Institute and received 113 responses. These responses indicated a strong interest in joining the Institute, even with a significantly increased financial burden for the teachers.
The teachers’ outpouring of support and resilience were inspiring, particularly as Project Archaeology navigated rapidly evolving unprecedented challenges. Our team met and unanimously supported finding a way to offer an in-person experience for as many teachers as possible. We trimmed our budget and started talking to donors immediately.
You can be a donor too! Please consider supporting a teacher attending the Institute this summer. Will you thoughtfully consider giving $25 toward a teacher stipend? Our goal is to support 32 teachers at $600 each to attend, which involves raising a total of $19,200 by June 15, 2025. DONATE NOW!
With your help, we will offer one session of the Voices of the Ancients Institute, July 13-18 in Cedar City, Utah. Teachers will experience education in ways that they may not expect. The field excursions allow teachers to get dirt under their feet, hone their scientific inquiry skills, and see these cultural landmarks as windows to the past. Indigenous educators are the heart of this program and provide perspectives that help teachers bridge the past to the present.
Long before the Western hemisphere was approached by Europeans, the Fremont people lived and thrived for over 1,200 years in what is now the state of Utah. Adapting to the desert climate through foraging, agriculture, and the development of community, the ancient Fremont people left behind a rich history. This history is maintained through the preservation of landmarks–such as the world-famous petroglyphs at Parowan Gap– as well as their descendants (Paiute, Ute, Goshute, Navajo, and Shoshone) stories and cultural traditions. The Voices of the Ancients Institute aims to expand the history of the American West as it is known today, as well as how continued preservation of this culturally rich heritage and landscape can be achieved.
“Sharing the rich history of Utah and the surrounding region with teachers from around the country is the perfect way to usher in the America 250 celebrations,” said Kirkley. “People have lived in this area for thousands of years and their descendants have sacrificed so much to preserve this land