LiKEN Knowledge

Reflecting on a transformative year, we would like to share this message from LiKEN founder and executive director Betsy Taylor. 💚 Full letter and other links: https://lnkd.in/eabjdVmQ Dear friends, When so much is in crisis, where should one focus? Distrust is everywhere – and with good reason. So many struggle to meet basic life needs – food, water, warmth, land, and loving community. The resources and power of the (economically) wealthy few grow at a pace that confounds imagination. Climate breakdown fuels horrifying disasters. Each new catastrophe exposes tragic gaps in our collective capacity to care for one another. Like many of you, we LiKENeers have felt storm-tossed in recent years. But hope and comfort continue as we steer towards the stars that have guided us so far. Our North Star is the principle of solidarity across difference. LiKEN was founded on the principle that there is more that unites humans than divides us. Our core mission is to build solidarity and power by working together in humble and practical ways to care together for life commons - water, forests, climate, local culture, and land - on which everyone depends. [Letter abridged - see link above for full letter.] As we look forward to the 10th anniversary of LiKEN’s founding in 2015, we ask you to help power our work in 2025! Help us jump-start a year of celebration and rededication to the work of building and sharing capacity to grow good livelihoods based on local assets, monitoring community health and wealth to avoid boom and bust, and taking evidence-based action for future well-being based on deep understanding of the past. We have a solid foundation of federal funds to work on specific projects, but need your help to continue through uncertain waters ahead. Donate: likenknowledge.org/donate We are deeply grateful for your generous support and for all you do! Betsy Taylor Executive Director

Check out our hiring notice for a part-time paralegal in West Virginia here: https://lnkd.in/e2yaCvWf

Come join the team at LiKEN! We are looking for a Paralegal/Legal Assistant in West Virginia to provide free legal technical assistance directly to landowners in southern West Virginia (Wayne, Mingo, McDowell counties). See our full hiring announcement on our website: https://lnkd.in/e2yaCvWf The Paralegal helps landowners acquire a clear title to their property, does legal client management, conducts legal and issue research, and assists in organizing and running free estate planning clinics and educational events. Along with the Director of Land & Revenues, the Paralegal will design and run programming for LiKEN’s free assistance program for heirs’ property owners in southern West Virginia, the Appalachian Heirs’ Property Coalition. It is preferable, although not required, for the candidate to live in or be from Wayne, Mingo, or McDowell counties. LiKEN has an office in Williamson, Mingo County that a hired candidate can work in. A successful Paralegal is a meticulous record-keeper with excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills as well as a passion for serving Kentuckians. They have foresight and are able to respond flexibly and creatively to unexpected events. They have a sound working knowledge of property records and are able to manage clients records in an organized system. Moreover, they are deeply committed to building caring and mutually respectful relationships within LiKEN and with our community constituents and collaborators. Paralegal Responsibilities: Work directly with families in southern West Virginia to assist them in creating a family tree and acquiring a clear title to their heirs’ property (inherited property with tangled title) Manage client data (documents, notes, family trees) and track client status Create chain of title reports Work alongside attorney to assist clients in establishing LLCs Prepare documents, including contracts and notice letters This is a part-time (20 hrs), hourly position with a possibility of becoming a full-time position (40 hrs) after 6 months. Working from home is an option although there will be semi-monthly in-person meetings in Williamson, WV, along with yearly in-person, all-LiKEN meetings that are mandatory. Compensation: $24.04/hr for 20 hrs per week. Application must include: cover letter (tell us why you are interested in the job and why you are a good candidate), resume, contact information for 3 professional references. Direct questions about the program to Director of Land & Revenues, Kevin Slovinsky, at kslovinsky@likenknowledge.org. All documents should be in either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf).

This Giving Tuesday, help transform communities by donating to LiKEN. Your support can restore forests, improve local water systems, and create opportunities for the next generation. https://lnkd.in/eeyD42Nw Together, we can create lasting change. Learn more about our work at likenknowledge.org. Let’s make a difference—one community, one action, one gift at a time. 💚🧡🤎💙 #GivingTuesday #MakeADifference #LiKENKnowledge

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at LiKEN! 🦃 Today, we celebrate the power of community, the beauty of storytelling, and the shared commitment to nurturing local livelihoods. As we gather with loved ones, let's give thanks for the vibrant connections that sustain us and the collective action that drives our mission forward. Wishing you all a day filled with gratitude, warmth, and joy. 💚 #Thanksgiving #LiKENKnowledge #Gratitude

Get inspired by the incredible work happening at LiKEN's Water Collaboratory program - we're turning the tide for a better tomorrow! 💧💙 Share your ideas and water stories in the comments below and let's create ripples of change together! https://lnkd.in/es3FDwhB #LiKENKnowledge #WaterCollaboratory

We at the Pacific Institute are pleased to see our partner, Dr. Betsy Taylor of LiKEN Knowledge, featured in waterloop's H2O Minute News. Dr. Taylor highlights a recent report “Water and Climate Equity in Rural Water Systems in the United States,” launched in partnership with LiKEN and Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP). This report introduces an innovative community-centered framework to assist leaders in rural communities to build equitable water and wastewater systems that will be resilient to climate change in the future. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gZffQVGQ #WaterEquity4All #RuralWaterClimateEquity #WaterEquityNow

💧 H2O Minute News 💧 Betsy Taylor of LiKEN Knowledge: Report with the Pacific Institute and RCAP Solutions, Inc. introduces a framework to help rural communities to build equitable water systems that will be resilient to climate change. More: https://lnkd.in/gZffQVGQ Segment sponsored by 120Water #water #waternews #watermanagement #rural #climatechange

LiKEN Knowledge and its partners at Pacific Institute and RCAP have compiled a new report titled "Water and Climate Equity in Rural Water Systems in the United States" as a first step towards building key strategies that strengthen water resilience and local livelihoods in Central Appalachia. 💧 This report aims to identify challenges facing rural water systems -- notably, water quality, access and affordability -- and seeks to understand how extreme weather events will impact small rural water systems, as well as the people and communities that depend on them. These are crucial for empowering communities in their path towards building long-term strategies and solutions that ensure water equity and resilience. The report features a resilience framework centered around data gathered through deep listening sessions conducted by LiKEN Community Engagement Coordinators Madison Mooney and McKensi Gilliam. Together we can shape more resilient, fair water systems in communities across the world! 🌎 Read the full report or the executive summary at https://lnkd.in/gZffQVGQ #LiKENKnowledge #Appalachia #Rural #ClimateResilience #research

LiKEN is hiring six new Community Engagement Coordinators in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia! 🌳 Help make our communities, rivers, and forests stronger. Transform. Restore. Protect. Replenish. Now is the chance for you or someone you know to become a LiKENeer! Share this post to help us find the best candidates for the job. #LiKENKnowledge #Appalachia #LiKENeer Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN) and our partners, Kentucky Riverkeeper and Friends of the Tug Fork River, seek six full-time community organizers to work on community development projects in eastern Kentucky for the project "Community Wealth from Healthy Rivers and Forests." Four positions will be based primarily in Clark, Madison, Estill, Lee, Leslie, Owsley and surrounding counties along the Kentucky River. Two Community Engagement Coordinators (CEC) will be based in the Tug Fork River watershed, one in southern West Virginia in Mingo and McDowell Counties, and one on the Kentucky side in Pike and Martin Counties. The initial contract will be for one year, with the potential to be extended for two years. Applicants should be energetic, organized, flexible, and love working with people, outreach and education. The ideal candidate will have personal and/or family roots in, and first-hand experience of Appalachian Kentucky and West Virginia, and a good understanding of the region’s history and issues. Experience with organizing and outreach tools (social media, Zoom or other online meeting platforms, making and distributing flyers, etc.), bringing people together and facilitating communication are essential. Training on (agro)forestry, heirs’ property, ecosystem markets, or nonprofits will be provided on the job. The most important qualification is that applicants are willing to learn and are passionate about the people, land, rivers, and forests that make up their local communities and ecologies. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Please see https://lnkd.in/ebH7dGyr for complete job descriptions.