STAY Summer Institute

Last summer around a dozen young folks from communities all over east Kentucky joined their peers from throughout Central Appalachia for the first STAY (Stay Together Appalachian Youth) Summer Institute at the Pine Mountain Settlement School, filled with leadership development workshops, identity caucuses and skill shares celebrating the culture and history of community organizing in Appalachia.  

This spring, STAY held its annual LGBTQ gathering in Berea, bringing together lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer youth from throughout the region to discuss what it means to be LGBTQ and living in the mountains.  The idea for this gathering came out of an LGBTQ identity caucus at the STAY Summer Institute last year, and involved an entire weekend of community building and visioning of ways to better solidify the unique support they want and need as a community.

Following their successes last summer, STAY is planning its 2^nd annual Summer Institute to be held in Pocahontas County, WV August 2^nd-5^th 2012.

STAY’s Summer Institutes are a way for young people in the region to educate themselves, find voice, and become community leaders.  We schedule workshops that range from the Basics of Community Foundations to Sustainable Economic Opportunities in Appalachia to Policy 101.  In the evenings we hold a cultural sharing, play music, and have community square dances.  With few regional networks, meeting places, or spaces for youth visions, it is crucial we provide more spaces for young people to gather formally and informally. Finally, the institute gives STAY the opportunity to elect new steering committee members and decide upon political strategy for the next year. 

Registration for STAY's 2012 Summer Institute is online now! Click here to register online by Monday, July 23rd.

Also, please contact our east Kentucky organizer, Tanya Turner, [email protected] or 606-632-0051 for more information about getting registered and traveling to STAY with KFTC.