Archive of Past Programs

Here are a few of the many programs the Council has sponsored over the past 25 years.

  • How I See It: Youth Digital Filmmakers and How I See It: My Place
    Through the Youth Digital Filmmakers program, California teens created and screened films that explored connections and disconnections in their lives and communities. Through the How I See It — My Place program, hundreds of young people across the state photographed and wrote about the everyday landscapes we inhabit but seldom really “see.” Click here to read more about the project, view the online exhibit, and access the toolkit and program manual.
  • California Stories Uncovered
    The Council asked people across California to tell and listen to stories that reveal the truth beneath the headlines, statistics, and stereotypes about the state. This program included a series of public, classroom, and library events, a “letters home” contest, youth-created exhibits, readings, and the California Stories Uncovered Anthology of California Writers.
  • Reading "The Grapes of Wrath"
    The Council invited Californians to read John Steinbeck's novel and share stories of their California experiences—and thousands responded. Almost 200 libraries and a host of other community organizations participated. High-profile lectures, performances, art exhibits, films, teen contests, read-a-thons, and discussion groups composed some of the almost 1,000 separate events in this multi-faceted program.
  • Communities Speak
    Communities Speak, a major component of the Council’s California Stories initiative, consisted of eight multi-year statewide projects designed to address critical issues in targeted communities. Communities Speak projects addressed a range of issues, from the crisis in affordable housing in Marin to the effects of rampant development on people in the Inland Empire.
  • CERA (California Exhibition Resources Alliance)
    An organization created by and for small museums to provide a broad range of engaging, high quality traveling exhibitions at very affordable fees. CCH launched CERA as an independent nonprofit organization in 2002.
  • MOTHEREAD/FATHEREAD, L.A.
    This intergenerational family literacy program is based on a simple idea: when families read together—and talk about what they read—remarkable things happen. Family ties are strengthened. Parents become reading role models for their children. Children become better readers and better learners. The Council introduced MOTHEREAD to L.A. County in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest; the United Way took the reins in 2003.
  • Community Heritage
    These seven California Community Heritage projects demonstrated the power of public humanities programs—and the power of story—to transform lives and revitalize communities. From Humboldt County to Oakland to Los Angeles, innovative programs captured the wisdom of elders, uncovered WWII experiences, and brought both civic and environmental renewal to communities in crisis.
  • Language Is Life Renewal Project (LLRP)
    Of the nearly 100 indigenous languages once spoken in California, half now have no fluent speakers and the rest face immediate extinction. To help reverse this trend, CCH formed a partnership with Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival—a collaboration between scholars and native communities. Activities included master-apprentice language learning and a video archiving workshop. For more on how this work continues through the Advocates, contact Marina Drummer at 510/655-8770 or marina@napanet.net.
  • History Alive!
    These living history performances featured dramatic, historically accurate portrayals of some of the most fascinating and important figures of Gold Rush-era California. CCH developed 13 character presentations and created and funded Chautauqua performances in every region of the state.
  • 9/11 Community Dialogue Grants
    These grants fostered community dialogue and increased cross-cultural understanding in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. As part of its community dialogue grants program, the Council awarded $50,000 to 35 groups and institutions—libraries, universities, theaters, museums, writing centers, cross-congregational coalitions, and more—to support an array of programs across California.
  • Moving Waters: The Colorado River & The West
    It is impossible to tell the story of the West without referring to water. This program gave 22 communities in the Colorado River basin an opportunity to learn more about their river and the vital role it has played in shaping the west. A collaboration of humanities councils from seven states, the project consisted of more than 100 programs. For more, visit www.movingwaters.org.