We Know This to Be True: The State of Youth Issues in Appalachia and a Plan of Action

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

We Know This To Be True The state of youth issues in the Appalachian Region and a plan of action Dear STAY Project kin & comrades, Over the last year, the STAY Project devoted our time to and outside of our regional gatherings; to strengthening our relationships with other young people in Appalachia, to deepening and building out our analysis of our economic, environmental, social, and political conditions in the region by clarifying what we need to fully actualize a just and sustainable Appalachia for all people; and continued to identify what work we can do to get us to liberation. As young people living in Appalachia, we are experts of our own experiences. Here is what we know to be true heading into in 2020: Young people living in Appalachia are struggling to thrive under the economic and social legacy of extractive industries like coal, gas, logging, tourism, etc. Those jobs broke people’s bodies and/or left and pharmaceutical companies flooded our region with opioids. Our local, state, and federal governments are trying to sell us prisons, small business, tourism, and downtown revitalization as the solution. We’ve got high rent and low wages because opportunities for youth are few, and often look like low-paid positions like Americorp/VISTA that exploit the labor of young people. We know that these are false solutions that rely on able-bodied workforces to work long/seasonal hours with low pay, little to no benefits, and that it will only replicate our current conditions and cause suffering, while lining the pockets of politicians and corporations.  The economic and environmental issues we face are compounded by acts of homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and racism, from members of our own communities. Trying to survive and just be young under compounding oppressions, while living with the legacy of extraction, takes a toll on our mental and physical health. Not to mention our access to healthcare is disappearing with the closing of rural hospitals and absurd medical costs. Instead of real transformative solutions, we get policing by cops and ICE in our schools, our hills, our hoods, and our hollers. We know that culture doesn't shift in a day or even an election cycle, and that come November, no matter who is the president, we will still have to fight for justice. We are in this for the long haul. We know that no one industry is going to save us, and that it will in fact take many people using a diversity of tactics in coordination across the region operating under shared principles to realize our vision of safe, sustainable, engaging, and inclusive Appalachian communities. In 2020, the STAY Project is going to keep creating spaces to connect youth across urban and rural divides in Appalachia to build relationships, skills, political analysis, and a vision for how young people are gonna survive and thrive in our region. Our opportunities are in our relationships and our kin networks that transcend state & county lines. We know how to show up for each other. We are providing strength and refuge in each other–– our resources are our relationships. We know how to invest in those relationships and build each other up as leaders.  In 2020, the STAY Project is solidifying our commitment to invest in Black youth leadership in our region. At the recommendation of the Black Youth Advisory Committee, we are making Black Appalachian Young & Rising a permanent program of the STAY Project.  WE STAN THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE POWER OF YOUNG PEOPLE. STAY members are out here making music, creating art, and celebrating despite the challenges. We are using our cultural and creative powers to inspire and live out a vision of just and sustainable communities in Appalachia. In 2020, the STAY Project is providing platforms for young people to share their talent with our first ever Appalachian Love Fest. We know that young people have already been out here in these hills doing the work. STAY members are creating revolutionary gathering space, leading electoral campaigns, expanding reproductive healthcare access, redefining sex education, pushing other work to be better, supporting labor struggles, organizing and getting resources to our people, etc. And y'all are doing this with the absolute bare minimum. In 2020, the STAY Project is going to keep connecting y'all with opportunities to grow as leaders and resources through our gatherings, and through our member support fund. We know that we do not have all the answers and that we are not the first to do this work. In 2020, the STAY Project is asking our community, our members, our alumni, and our elders to hold us accountable and give us guidance and support. We are in this for the long haul. We love y'all so much.  STAY tuned.   solidarity & kinship, The STAY Project staff & steering committee Photos from our January steering committee meeting in Big Stone Gap, VA and at the Country Queers Extravaganza in Whitesburg, KY. Thank you so much to Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards  for letting us use your office <3 Donate to the STAY Project Upcoming STAY Project Events & Calls to Action! We're hosting a festival for music, arts and activism this year for Appalachian Love Week, y'all! Appalachian Love Fest is February 15th in Harlan Kentucky, and will feature some of the best young musicians and artists that Appalachia has to offer! If you would like to volunteer for Appalachian Love Fest please fill out this form. Regional Happenings People all over the world are mobilizing to combat the climate crisis. It's time to build skills and take action! Join us for 10 days of learning, training, and taking direct action to disrupt the systems that are destroying our climate. We will come together to build on Appalachia's rich history of direct action against extractive industries, which has included tree sits, blockades, and walk-ons to resist mountaintop removal, fracking, and fossil fuel pipelines. After fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline for over two years, we aim to grow the resistance to fossil fuel exploitation and take power out of the hands of corporations and politicians that are threatening our collective future. We are inviting community members, activists, students, and families to learn the skills needed to execute a variety of actions that disrupt the power structures wrecking the environment and contributing to climate change.  The Appalachian Climate Action Camp will be an all ages event hosted in West Virginia along the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline for 10 days. There will be both camping space, as well as limited beds and accommodations available on an as needed basis.  Food will be provided and there will be childcare. If you are interested in coming to camp and joining the resistance please email appclimateactioncamp@protonmail.com. Location and more event details to follow upon registration! Southern Connected Communities Project has opened a Cyber Cafe in the Clearfork Valley! Need to print something? Have research to do?  Want to scroll the internet? Need to submit an application? Have a paper to write? Come see us at Clearfork Community Institute (the old Eagan School) Free services available; Scan, copy, print, and laptops Staff available for basic computer assistance  Coffee, lattes, cappuccino and snacks will be sold Beginning August 6, 2019 hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays  9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 423-784-0095 for more information Get Involved with The STAY Project! Join our Appalachian Youth Movement! Wanna join the STAY Project? We’ve added a membership form to our website! If you are between the ages of 14-30 and living in Appalachia and want to be a member of the STAY Project, head on over to our membership page and fill out the form. If you are a current member go ahead and fill out the form to update your information. Be a part of a movement for youth and by youth that is working towards a just, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia! Did y'all hear that STAY is now offering financial support to members who are organizing projects/events in their communities? We are able to offer up to $200 to support members’ projects that align with our mission and core beliefs. Specifically, we are hoping to support projects/events that further STAY’s work of providing space for young Appalachians to gather, learn with/from, create, and work together. To learn more and to request support, fill out this form! When you give to the STAY Project you are nourishing a grassroots movement by youth and for youth in Appalachia. We could not do our work without the support of a community that believes in us. Thank you for believing in us! Donate to the STAY Project! Share Tweet Forward Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*