Appalachia has a history worth preserving, and a future worth pursuing.
The Appalachian Futurism Project’s mission is to leverage educational, cultural, and economic resources to develop an ecosystem across the region where young people are part of imagining and co-designing the Appalachia of the future.
What started as a high school transformation at Elizabethton High School is now a spark of innovation that is spreading across high schools and communities in central Appalachia.
The Formula
AFP uses a simple framework:
Education + Community = Learning Ecosystem where young people are part of co-designing their futures.
Education
The Appalachian Futurism Project is centered on community-engaged learning, a pedagogy that contextualizes subjects and standards in the communities educators and students share, making the learning experience more grounded and connected to daily life. Educators and students share learning experiences in which they tackle very real challenges in their communities and work together to co-design and implement tangible solutions.
Community
For too long, we have used the phrase “in the real world” to describe anything that happens after students graduate from high school. Involving the community not just in school, but also making school part of the community ecosystem, completely changes that paradigm. Schools, community leaders, and businesses should work together to have students tackle both the issues of their region and futurecast how to create the next great improvements.
Learning Ecosystem
Schools and the community working in tandem to create a fluid ecosystem is a net positive for all parties. It increases civic engagement, teaches young people problem-solving and leadership skills, and builds strong connections within communities. This creates a positive feedback loop in which the community flourishes by investing in its young people as a resource, rather than seeing them as a nuisance needing to be managed.
Our Roots
Based at Elizabethton High School. Rooted in Appalachia.
AFP’s mission is to leverage educational, cultural, and economic resources to create an ecosystem where young people are part of reimagining and co-designing the Appalachia of the future.
Appalachia for All
We’re on a mission to reimagine Appalachia for everyone.
Building the Appalachia of our future is a collaborative goal! It will take people from all walks of life to create a net-positive ecosystem where communities and young people flourish together.
All voices will always be welcome in our conversations.
Upcoming Events
Community Conversation
at the Langston Centre
In partnership with the Langston Centre in Johnson City, Tennessee, AFP is hosting a community conversation event on Tuesday, October 27, from 5-7 p.m. at 315 Elm St.
Results of the community conversations will directly influence AFP's priorities and upcoming project design. Attendees are welcome to drop by any time. Light refreshments will be served.
East Tennessee State University
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Elizabethton High School
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XQ Institute
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Teach for America Appalachia
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East Tennessee State University | Elizabethton High School | XQ Institute | Teach for America Appalachia |
AFP + Student Involvement
Appalachian Futurism Project is proud to have six student ambassadors from Elizabethton High School representing our initiative. Students — and young people in general — are at the heart of everything we do and are the innate inheritor of the future of Appalachia.