Youth and Community

Eddie Conway Freedom School summer 2012 participants

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Eddie Conway Freedom School participants engage in a discussion about how to build good credit. Life skills like this were taught during the summer session, in addition to history, communication skills, and community organizing.

Photo: Bryan Vana

Imagine living right next to a gas station and being forbidden to walk there for a snack. For many of Baltimore’s youth, like Octavia Chase, this is a reality. "My parents don't really allow me to go outside," Octavia shared. "The neighborhood doesn’t seem bad, but if I can’t go to a gas station that’s right there, there must be something wrong. That bothers me." But the high school student found an alternative environment in the Eddie Conway Freedom School, where she can actively give back to her community and attempt to change it for the better.

ACE Students

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ACE students visit the WVSU campus.

Photo: Rickey French

Being a young person in Appalachia can be isolating. But that stands to change as the Appalachian Center for Equality grows. Currently, 16 high school students in southern West Virginia get together every week to volunteer, learn about their county, and prepare for college. ACE is now expanding through new programs in two nearby counties.

Students Learn Logan History

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Photos: Lida Shepherd

Location

Logan, West Virginia

United States

Map & Directions: Google Maps

During their summer break, students from the ACE mentoring program in Logan County toured Southern Community and Technical College where they learned about all the different college options available right in their backyard.  After the tour, we took a trip over the mountain to Blair Community Center and Museum.  The students learned about the historic labor struggle known as the Battle of Blair Mountain, coal mining's effect on water quality, and what life was like in the coal camps of Logan County.  

Logan students visit WVSU

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On April 26th, 2012 students in the Appalachian Center for Equality's BAPS (Believing All Is Possible!) mentoring program toured West Virginia State University where they learned about the Upward Bound program and the academic and extracurricular opportunities offered. Photos: Lida Shepherd

Students from the Appalachian Center for Equality's BAPS (Believing All is Possible!) mentoring program in Logan, WV visited West Virginia State University, a historically black univerity, in April 2012.  During our time on campus, we met with the Director of the Upward Bound program, attended the Multicultural Day activities, toured the campus, and met with a financial aid officer to learn about scholarship opportunities.  By the end of the day, the students were very excited about the prospect of attending WVSU.

ACE Students Visit WV State Capitol 2012

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ACE Youth Group in Charleston WV: March, 2012

The girls from the Appalachian Center for Equality's BAPs (Believing All is Possible) mentoring group visited the WV State Capitol in March 2012.  We met with community advocates working on domestic violence, mine safety, reproductive health, labor rights, and social work.  We also attended session in the House of Delegates where we were introduced from the floor by Delegate Greg Butcher (D-Logan).  Delegate Meshea Poore, a young African American lawyer, inspired the girls to have a dream and pursue that dream with passion.