Amid long-term economic restructuring and population loss, many young people in West Virginia and the wider Appalachian region face stark stay/leave decisions even as strong attachments to place endure. Between 2010 and 2020 the state’s population declined by just over 3 percent, intensifying questions about the conditions under which youth remain, return, and lead. This project—Cultivating Youth Resilience Leaders—examines how belonging, purpose, and locally grounded opportunity shape youth pathways, and how higher education can align more closely with community needs.
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What motivates youth to stay, return, or contribute to transformation in their homeplaces?
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How do young people already weave education, paid work, caregiving, and service into meaningful lives?
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Which institutional arrangements—across higher education, housing, health, and workforce programs—enable or constrain these trajectories?
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Which emerging livelihoods (e.g., food systems, renewable energy, tourism, health care, arts and culture) can anchor durable youth opportunities?
By centering youth leadership and accompaniment, the project advances scholarship on regional development and offers actionable strategies for building vibrant, inclusive futures in Appalachia.