Neofotistos receives National Endowment for the Humanities grant for veteran programs

Vasiliki Neofotistos, associate professor of anthropology, recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) "Dialogues of War" program grant for a collaborative project titled, "Developing a Sense of Meaningful Belonging Among Veterans."

With co-investigators Lisa Butler, UB School of Social Work, and Bonnie Vest, Department of Family Medicine, UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the project consists of a six-day preparatory program to train discussion leaders at UB in August 2021 and two cycles of six monthly discussion programs for military veterans in Buffalo, NY. Community partners include Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the Buffalo and Erie County Libraries, and the Veterans One-stop Center of Western New York.

The project aims to facilitate an understanding of how veterans develop a feeling of social connection and a feeling that active participation in the civilian world is possible. In addition to the discussion programs, an exhibition of veterans’ photographs and a public panel discussion at the downtown Buffalo and Erie County Library is planned for Spring 2022.