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The Appalachian Futurism Project (AFP) is partnering with ETSU to bring students from across the region together for the second annual Rural Student Leadership Summit this fall semester. The summit will feature leadership workshops, team-building activities and collaborative problem-solving sessions, along with networking opportunities for students, educators and community partners.

Founded by Dustin Hensley, Elizabethton High School librarian and ETSU adjunct professor, AFP aims to help youth reimagine and co-design Appalachia’s future through community-engaged learning (CEL) initiatives across the region.

AFP partners with ETSU, Teach for America Appalachia and XQ Institute.

The project was first announced last fall during an event at the James and Nellie Brinkley Center. AFP’s mission is to empower Appalachia by fostering multi-generational collaboration, encouraging innovative problem-solving and strengthening community identity.

The framework is based on CEL, a pedagogy that contextualizes subjects and standards within the communities educators and students share. The goal is for young people to collaborate with their communities, tackle real problems they face and develop and implement tangible solutions that align with learning standards.

ETSU also facilitates CEL, offering more than 45 experiences for students to participate in each semester, paired with many professional development opportunities. For a course to be designated as community-engaged learning and earn the “Go Beyond the Classroom” distinction, the class must be mutually beneficial, critically reflective, instructionally intentional and assessed on one of three student learning outcomes.

“The future of learning is empowering learners to freely explore who they are as individuals and equipping them with the tools to pursue a better world for themselves and those around them,” Hensley said. “We cannot teach them to master every piece of new technology that is released, but we can provide them with the ability to celebrate their own and everyone else’s humanity and collaborate on building a better future together.”

Last May, AFP collaborated with ETSU’s Center for Rural Education and Development to host the inaugural Rural Student Leadership Summit. The event hosted more than 200 students and educators.

“One thing I learned is that no matter where you’re from, you always have a voice,” a student who participated in the event said.

The second annual Rural Student Leadership Summit will take place Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at ETSU. The event is targeted to middle school, high school and college students. Interested students and educators may register online at etsu.edu/coe/rural-education-development/events.php.

Looking ahead, AFP will host its first town hall meeting to foster dialogue about what it means to be Appalachian during the fall semester. In partnership with ETSU, the data will then be analyzed and used to inform future project design and campaign development. More information is expected soon.

Learn more about AFP by following @appalachianfuturismproject on Instagram and Facebook or by visiting appalachianfuturismproject.org. To collaborate with AFP, contact appalachianfuturismproject@gmail.com

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