Optimism for SOAR Conference

As the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Conference approaches, interest and excitement is growing. Over 1,000 people have already registered for the one-day meeting in Pikeville, KY on December 9th, and editorials and articles about it are popping up in newspapers across the region. The facilitator for the conference, Chuck Fluharty of the Rural Policy Research Institute, recently wrote a column about his optimism for the day's outcomes.  Rural regions too often get short shrift from the federal government, Fluharty says (and we agree), so it's even more important that local people get together to solve their own problems. Here's a snippet from the column, which you can read in its entirety at the Agri-Pulse website.  Prior to the press conference announcing this Summit, they held the first meeting of the SOAR Planning Committee, who appeared with them at the media event. These fifty citizens of eastern and southern Kentucky, representing the diverse interests and organizations which call Appalachian Kentucky home, were asked to create the Summit agenda, and support its way forward. In response to media questions, they all echoed a common theme-the SOAR Summit is simply the first step in a journey, not just an event. These folks have been here before, many times. There have been countless commissions, strategic plans, and working groups designed to address the challenges in Appalachian Kentucky. Though all were well-intentioned, and most quite well done, the regional will necessary to move from words to action could never be sustained. Governors and legislative leadership changed,...

Appalachia as a microcosm for the larger American story

“It’s always been easy to think of Eastern Kentucky as separate and apart from America’s mainstream,” today’s Lexington Hearld-Leader editorial says. “But the notion of Appalachian exceptionalism has never been reality and is more wrong today than ever.” The region, it states, is a microcosm of the larger story of America. It goes on: Any plan for igniting Eastern Kentucky’s moribund economy will have to be built on principles that would work anywhere: Local ownership; support for entrepreneurs; a healthy, educated workforce; healthy land, clean water, good food; towns and parks where people want to visit, live and invest; accountable, honest government; clean energy, and, as Lexington Mayor Jim Gray often says, an authenticity of place. By the same token, Eastern Kentucky can never pull itself up in a country where the deck is stacked overwhelmingly in favor of the rich and powerful, where Congress won’t raise the minimum wage to make work a rational alternative to disability, or tax the wealthy to support early childhood programs, first-generation college students or the kind of investment in research and infrastructure that built U.S. prosperity and the middle class. A lot needs to happen in Eastern Kentucky to help rebuild the economy, and the Herald-Leader is certainly on the right track with their...

Making the case again for increased broadband Internet access in Appalachia...

The Intelligent Community Forum, a nonprofit organization that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community, has named two rural communities as Smart 21 Communities for 2014. And Appalachia can learn a lot about investing in and developing an economy around broadband Internet from those communities: Mitchell, S.D., and Walla, Walla, Wash. (Creative Commons photo) From the Daily Yonder, by way of The Rural Blog: “Though Mitchell and Walla Walla may have smaller populations, the communities have big ideas about the role of broadband connectivity in raising the standard of living. And they’ve invested in infrastructure to help residents use digital tools to create jobs, improve education and reverse population loss.” Mitchell promotes “precision farming” with GPS, Internet and other digital tools, which all helps the community control farming costs and generate larger crop yields. Walla Walla invested in a new fiber optic connection network that “encouraged new business development,” Tim Marema writes for the Daily Yonder. High-speed broadband Internet could be used in very useful ways in Appalachia to help revive the economy. Improving access to education and helping small, locally owned businesses connect to the global economy are two examples. And the region could follow the lead of other small, rural communities from across the country to achieve those...

Incentive programs for college graduates could draw young people to Appalachia to stay...

Here’s another story that provide a useful example to Appalachia about how to retain, or gain, population, from The Rural Blog: “In an effort to encourage graduates to consider jobs in rural areas that are in desperate need of lawyers, the University of North Dakota School of Law has created a one-year pilot program to give students an idea of what it's like to live and work in a rural area, Ashley Marquis reports for Dakota Student, the college's student-run newspaper. If continued, ‘The program would offer three internships for law students to go to smaller communities in the state that have less than 15,000 people. The interns would work closely with a judge throughout the summer and into the school year.’” (Dakota Student photo by Chester Beltowski) Similar programs exist in Nebraska, Georgia, South Dakota and Kansas. There’s even a program through the University of Pikeville’s College of Osteopathic Medicine that forgives a portion of student loan debt for graduates who stay in the region to work for a certain number of years. Could more incentives such as these draw young professionals into Appalachia to...

Study shows schools lacking necessary high-speed broadband; Appalachia can’t afford not to have it...

There’s been a push in recent years to extend broadband Internet service into the country’s more rural areas, and the issue has become pressing in Appalachia as we all try to find ways to transition the economy into the future. Broadband will play a critical role in this transition. (Creative Commons photo) But little attention is given to the impact broadband capabilities have on K-12 schools. “According to Education Superhighway, a nonprofit dedicated to improving digital access in schools, 72 percent of public schools—in the country, suburbs and cities—do not have adequate broadband speeds to fully access the Internet,” The Rural Blog reports. (Read more about the report here). Considering that schools in Appalachia have made a move toward utilizing more and more technology in lessons, including Smart Boards and tablets, those statistics are not good. A strong education system in Appalachia will be essential to making an economic renewal thrive well into the future. After all, we aren’t creating this new economy for ourselves; we are creating it for our children. And one aspect of creating a stronger education system for the future is technology, which requires high-speed broadband to properly function. We should make sure broadband Internet is not only being extended to the home, but into the classrooms of Appalachia as well. Our kids deserve the very best, and the very best Internet at this time is high-speed...

More Kentucky leaders speak out in favor of diversified Appalachian economy...

In the face of continued production declines in the coal industry, more and more Kentucky leaders are speaking out, and calling for the construction of a different, more diversified economy. We, and others, often lament the lack of leadership on this matter, so any movement toward building a better economy for the region is good news. This week, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer (Kentucky Public Radio photo), who is a big advocate for bringing industrial hemp back to Kentucky, said that “the coal industry’s future doesn’t look bright and we have to look beyond that and learn to develop a new economy in Eastern Kentucky.” Read more about his comments here. He’s not the only one, either, as we have talked about on this blog before, here and here. State Rep. Leslie Combs received much attention in August when she said “it is crucial that we do all we can to help our people not just survive but thrive. The time has come to focus less on placing blame and more on how coal-mining regions can move forward.” And Gov. Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers announced last month their SOAR summit, or Shaping our Appalachian Region, as a way to talk about viable options for the region’s future. The times, they are a’changing, and it’s obvious our leaders are on board with looking for other opportunities for Appalachia to flourish in the future, which is a good sign. We’ll lead strong leadership to guide us into that bright future we...

Re-emphasizing Appalachia’s Importance

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at this month’s Rural Futures Conference that now is the time “to re-emphasize, re-educate and remind America of the importance of rural America” because “rural America is ready to capitalize on economic and societal changes.” (AP Photo) We feel this way about Appalachia. Appalachia is more than ready to capitalize on the opportunities that are presenting themselves as the region’s economy transitions into an uncertain future. That uncertainty provides ample space for discussion about what we want that future to look like. Discussion, and then action. And part of this probably will require us to share the story of our region far and wide, as Vilsack suggests for all rural areas. We’ll need many people to help in this effort, from within and outside the region. We need investment from as many places as possible. So, let’s take Vilsack’s advice, and re-emphasize, re-educate and remind others of Appalachia’s importance so we can capitalize on this very crucial...

Appalachian Transition Fellowship Program Announced

There's so much work to be done in revitalizing Appalachia's economy, so many great organizations and communities in need of folks who can get things done, and so many people with energy and ideas for a new Appalachia. But how do we connect all these pieces? The Highlander Center along with Rural Support Partners recently unveiled one of its solutions: the Appalachian Transition Fellowship Program. For one year, fifteen leaders will be paid (yes, paid!) both to work with Appalachian community organizations and undertake their own projects throughout Central Appalachia.  The Fellowship program is seeking both host communities and Fellows. Because the Fellowship seeks to foster cross-sector collaboration, host communities must have at least two places – in the non-profit, government, education, business or philanthropy sectors – with which the Fellow can work. If you're interested in being a host community, apply here by November 27. Fellows must be committed to the Central Appalachian region, able to commit to a 12-month placement and have their own independent project idea. While there's no age requirement, the Fellowship is for "emerging leaders" who are "at the beginning of their career or at a transitory time and want to change sectors or area of work," according to the Fellowship FAQ. In addition, the Fellowship provides skills development in the form of individual leadership, organizational and community development, and regional and systemic analysis. If you are interested in being an Appalachian Transition Fellow, apply here by February 10. The website has informational webinars and powerpoints, but is also hosting...