Appalshop
91 Madison AvenueWhitesburgKY41858606-633-0108606-633-1009

Program: Appalachion Media Institute Year Started: 1988 Focus: Video & Humanities Youth Served: 13 Ages: 13-17 Budget: $110,000 Located in central Appalachia, Appalshop is an arts and education center that provides local people a modern vehicle with which to tell their stories. There are two primary programs for youth at Appalshop; both are designed to reform traditional education and to help teens better understand Appalachian culture. The Roadside Theater Company, a storytelling theater company, conducts extended school residencies. Youth interview community members and turn the stories they hear into theater pieces, which they present to the community. Appalshop Media Institute (AMI) is a 6-week summer video production project for sophomore and junior high school students. It emphasizes analytical thinking, good study habits and collaborative learning through the teaching of media production skills and their use in examining community issues. College students who have graduated from the program act as group leaders to teach technical, research and leadership skills. Youth are paid to participate in classes and production exercises for 40 hours a week. For the last 2 weeks of the program, participants go into communities, interview residents and produce a documentary based on the interviews."The program teaches youth about their history and fosters community responsibility and the idea of giving back," explains Educational Services Director Robert Gipe. "We find that the rate of college attendance for kids going through the program is much higher than the average rate here. The program helps focus kids on who they are and what they want for themselves." During the school year, AMI interns work with teachers to develop media studies curricula and teach portions of classes to pass on their video skills to other students.