Telling a Different Story: Resilience in Appalachia
June 15-28, 2025
The commonly accepted narrative about Appalachia is one of entrenched poverty, drug addiction and economic decline. While it is true that the region lags much of the rest of the nation in terms of economic, social and public health indicators, pockets of community resilience are evident throughout. This residential course examines several examples of communities coming together to lift themselves up. Over 12 days, you will travel through southern and central West Virginia and southwest Virginia to learn how local communities are addressing issues of food security, celebrating local culture through the arts, strengthening their children’s education, and beginning to reframe the narrative about themselves.
In this course you will:
- See examples of SEED-SCALE applied in the Appalachian context
- Meet with leaders of different organizations throughout the region working to solve the problem of food insecurity
- Visit a community whose early successes in education and public health have scaled up and led to improvements in agriculture and cultural preservation
- Learn how small investments in arts and culture have led to revitalization throughout the region
Tentative Schedule*
Starting and ending in Franklin, WV.
June 15-17 – Franklin, West Virginia
The course begins with a welcome dinner at Future Generations University on June 15. At the opening dinner, course leaders Joey and Jenny will give some background on the Appalachian region as a whole and Central Appalachia specifically regarding its historically extractive economy. Spend the first couple of days getting oriented to the region and getting to know your classmates from around the world.
June 18 – Harrisonburg, Virginia
Head east over the mountains into the Shenandoah Valley to meet some Future Generations University partners in the area before heading south and west to Charleston, WV.
June 19-25 – Charleston, West Virginia
Spend the week in and around Charleston, the capital of West Virginia. Meet with community leaders in and around the Charleston area working to address issues such as food insecurity, literacy, the mental health crisis, and workforce development.
June 26-27 – Pendleton County, West Virginia
Return to Pendleton County, home of Future Generations University, for a day of reflection and summation. The residential ends with a farewell dinner this evening.
June 28 – Future Generations University
For those interested in attending, the commencement ceremony takes place at Future Generations University.
*Subject to change. Also, international students will have the option to apply for a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa, which may enable you to more easily schedule a visa interview at a US embassy. The J-1 visa, however, requires that you join a 3-week program, so you will need to arrive in the US several days before June 15 and depart several days after. More details on the J-1 visa will be forthcoming.
Meet your Field-Based Course Leaders
Joey Aloi
Joey is a born-and-raised Appalachian from West Virginia with years of experience in local food. He spearheaded aggregation and distribution efforts for KISRA’s Paradise Farms in Dunbar, and in this capacity was one of the founding members of the Turnrow Appalachian Farms Collective. He has also served as the President of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition. He came to his work in Appalachian foodways as an Appalachian Transition Fellow with the Highlander Research and Education Center. This work was not only a result of his connection to his homeplace, but a result of an education in Environmental Philosophy. In this capacity, he studied Philosophy of Food at the University of North Texas, where he wrote on hermeneutics and environmental aesthetics for his doctoral dissertation. Before that, he studied Philosophy of Technology in Montana, and wrote a Master’s Thesis on wilderness and culture. His published academic works touch on environmental ethics, economic transition, environmental justice, and the role of the forest in Appalachian foodways. He’s currently serving on the board of the Buckhannon River Watershed Association.
Jennifer Totten
Jenny grew up in West Virginia and currently resides in Franklin, WV. She’s tried to flee her Appalachian roots more than once and finally found herself back home with her passion. Professionally trained as an aerospace and robotics engineer, she discovered after a series of beautiful adventures including Haiti, the 1890 extension system, and the WV nonprofit sector, that she prefers working with communities to engineer their own futures instead. Jenny has worked with both community development and local food systems in the region for over a decade, particularly supporting local level efforts and systems approaches to community change.
Her professional interests gravitate towards building rural economic models, supporting youth-based programs, entrepreneurship, applications of technology to rural development, and agroforestry pursuits. In addition to working for the university, she owns and operates a small cut flower operation and is the proud owner of an endless fixer upper house project in McDowell County. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys hiking, flatwater kayaking, trail running, and traveling to find new culinary and music adventures with her canine, Oliver. Jenny received both an MS in unmanned systems and BS in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and is a member of the inaugural class of Appalachian Leadership Institute fellows, sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission. She is a past winner of the West Virginia Beacon Award, given to young people working to build leadership in their local communities.
Cost
Current Future Generations University Students**
Three credits $2,400
Two credits $1,600
Single room $500
**Shared accommodations are included in the academic credits cost.
What is included:
- Group transfers between Dulles International Airport and Franklin, WV
- Group transportation for group activities for the duration of the program
- Accommodation in shared rooms. Single rooms are available for an additional cost.
- A full program of site visits examining various aspects of community development throughout the West Virginia/SW Virginia region
- Meals: Continental breakfast daily; most lunches and dinners
- Gratuities (tips) for group meals and activities
What is not included:
- Travel between your home and Dulles International Airport
- Transfers to/from Franklin, WV, other than the group transfers
- Some meals, to allow you to explore on your own, and gratuities at those meals
- Items of a personal nature, such as toiletries, clothing, snacks, etc.
- Anything not specifically listed as included above or in the itinerary