Community Engagement Policies

JAM Community Engagement Policies 

Starting a JAM Program

Our primary geographic service area includes the mountain and foothills counties of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia within 100 miles of the JAM office, which is currently located in Independence, VA. Locales beyond the 100 mile radius are eligible for services. However, additional fees may apply depending on current state of funding for JAM.

JAM, Inc services are available to local community leaders interested in starting a program to teach children to play traditional Appalachian string band music. These services are available to advisory boards in cooperation with services from other administrative entities (such as The Boys and Girls Club, 4 – H or The Crooked Road), and are also offered from JAM alone without being bundled with services from other agencies. Other such agencies providing services to advisory boards or programs shall determine their operating fees and policies separately from JAM.

Once an advisory board is established, requests for JAM services must come directly through that group. Program administrators, teachers, parents or other administrative agencies may request services related to a specific program, but the request must be initiated from that program’s advisory board based on locally developed policies.

When JAM, Inc and another administrative entity collaborate to help a community develop a program using the JAM model, the advisory board of that community program will be given written information delineating the responsibilities, services and fee schedule of each partner. A contract will be developed and signed annually by all parties.