You Matter Appalachia invests in youth, community pride, future close to home

BY DOROTHY DILLON

What would Appalachia look like if every young person growing up here knew they mattered?

What if they understood that their voice has value, their ideas are needed, and the place they call home is worthy of their investment? What if they knew they could leave Appalachia if they wanted to – but they did not have to leave to build a meaningful and successful life?

Those questions became the foundation of the You Matter Appalachia Internship, a nine-week paid summer program launched through the Martin County Health Department on June 1, 2026.

More than 60 high school and college students applied for the inaugural program, with 36 students selected to participate. From the beginning, You Matter Appalachia was designed to be different from a traditional summer internship. Although students gained valuable work experience, its greater purpose was to help them recognize their potential, become more connected to their community, and understand that Martin County and the Appalachian region need their talents.

The program was created, in part, as a response to a challenge that communities across Appalachia have faced for generations: young people often grow up believing they must leave home to find opportunity.

You Matter Appalachia offered them another perspective. Leaving home can be a choice, but it should not feel like the only choice. There is something worth building here. There is something worth being proud of here. Most importantly, there is a place for young people in the future of Appalachia.

“This program was never just about filling a summer with activities,” said Courtney Walker, director of the You Matter Appalachia Internship. “It was about helping young people find their voice, understand their community, and see themselves as leaders in it.”

Throughout the nine-week program, interns participated in hands-on learning centered on leadership, communication, networking, wellness, project development, artificial intelligence, and innovation. Community leaders and professionals shared not only career advice but also lessons about character, confidence, and the responsibility of representing where you come from.

Students heard messages such as, “Look people in the eye, shake their hand, and proudly say that you are from Martin County.”

They were also reminded, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will tell it for you – and it won’t be the same story.”

Another message became especially meaningful throughout the summer: “Be where your feet are. Make a difference here, now.”

These lessons encouraged interns to take pride in where they come from while developing the confidence to speak for themselves and their communities. They learned that being from Appalachia is not something they need to hide or overcome. It is an important part of their identity and a story worth sharing.

Interns were divided among three primary cohorts: Community Tourism & Development, Community Health & Wellness, and Youth & Family Support. Eric Mills provided cohort leadership for Community Tourism & Development, Dorothy Dillon for Community Health & Wellness, and Kayla Corbiere for Youth & Family Support.

Education professionals also served as summer faculty, providing consistent, hands-on guidance throughout the internship. Faculty members included Travis York, Leanna Muncy, Thomas Ray, Justin Maynard, John Horn and Bailey Dials.

Rather than observing from the sidelines, cohort leaders and faculty worked directly with the interns as they completed projects, developed new skills, and learned to navigate professional and community settings.

Several interns also served as lifeguards at the Martin County Swimming Pool. This allowed them to gain practical employment experience while providing an important service to children and families throughout the summer.

A defining part of You Matter Appalachia was giving students opportunities to put what they were learning into action. Interns were not simply asked to listen to presentations about leadership or community development. They were trusted to help create, plan, and carry out projects that could make a difference in the place they call home.

Students partnered with organizations and community leaders, including Appalachia Reach Out, Martin County Tourism, and the Martin County Health Department. These partnerships allowed interns to see community development from the inside – not simply as something adults or organizations do, but as something young people can actively help shape.

One group of interns planned and carried out a Family Fun Fair, creating an opportunity for families to gather, play games, spend time together, and enjoy a positive activity close to home. Students helped take the event from an idea to implementation, gaining firsthand experience in planning, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and community engagement.

Other interns focused on tourism and finding creative ways to showcase what makes Martin County special. Students added chairs to the Big Chair Trail, contributing to a growing local attraction designed to encourage visitors to explore the county and experience its communities.

Interns also completed a community beautification and local history project centered on the red caboose in Warfield. Their work helped transform the caboose into a place where residents and visitors can learn more about Himlerville and the area’s history.

The project encouraged students to look at local history differently – not simply as something that happened in the past, but as something worth preserving and sharing as Martin County builds its future.

Community Health & Wellness interns found ways to connect public health education with how people communicate today. Students created cooking videos and helped develop preventive health awareness content for the Martin County Health Department’s platforms. Through these projects, they gained experience in health communication, digital media, and community education while producing information that could directly benefit their neighbors.

Through service and outreach, interns also supported Helping Hand. This work reinforced a central part of the You Matter message: knowing that you matter should change the way you see and treat other people.

Each project looked different, but the lesson behind them was the same. Young people do not have to wait until “someday” to contribute to Appalachia. They can make a difference right now.

Whether they were creating an event for families, promoting tourism, preserving local history, communicating health information, or serving their neighbors, students were given real responsibilities and the opportunity to see their work become something tangible.

They were no longer simply being told that their community needed them. They were being given the opportunity to prove it to themselves.

Some of the summer’s most important learning also happened beyond Martin County.

Interns traveled to other Appalachian communities, including Harlan and Hazard, where they saw downtown revitalization and community development efforts firsthand. They returned home inspired by what they witnessed and began asking a new question: If transformation is possible in other Appalachian towns, what could the future of Martin County look like?

The trips were not intended to teach students that somewhere else was better. They were designed to show them what is possible when communities believe in themselves, work together, and invest in their people and places.

That shift – from simply seeing what currently exists to imagining what could exist – was one of the most important goals of the summer.

It helped interns view Martin County not only as it is today, but also as what it could become through creativity, leadership, collaboration and long-term investment.

The interns’ personal growth became increasingly visible as the summer continued.

Some students who began the program sitting quietly in the back of the room eventually found themselves standing in front of their peers and practicing public speaking. Interns learned how to introduce themselves professionally, look someone in the eye, communicate an idea, work alongside people they had never met, and contribute to projects larger than themselves.

They learned that leadership does not always begin with a title. Sometimes it begins with having the courage to speak up, show up, accept responsibility, and recognize that what you have to contribute has value.

Perhaps one of the summer’s most meaningful lessons was that “You Matter” was never intended to stop with the interns.

Students began recognizing that other people matter, too. Through their projects, service, and everyday interactions, they were challenged to consider how their actions could make someone else feel seen, valued, and supported.

The message was not simply, “You matter because of what you can accomplish.” Instead, interns were reminded that they have value because of who they are – and that they have a responsibility to help others recognize their value as well.

After nine weeks of learning, service, growth, and connection, the inaugural You Matter Appalachia program came full circle July 31 with an “Intern to Ambassador” graduation ceremony at the Historic Martin County Courthouse in Inez.

Family members, community partners, and leaders gathered to celebrate the 36 students who completed the program. Holding the ceremony inside the historic courthouse carried special meaning. In a building representing generations of Martin County’s history, a new generation was being challenged to help shape its future.

The ceremony included remarks from Eric Mills, director of Public Health; Dr. Josh Ball, chief operating officer of SOAR; Nita Collier, Martin County Tourism chairperson; and Corey Castle, executive director of THRIVE Community Coalition.

Each speaker encouraged the interns to recognize their potential, carry the lessons of the summer forward, and continue using their voices and abilities to strengthen their communities.

The program concluded with an Ambassador Pinning Ceremony. One by one, graduating interns were called forward and recognized not simply as former interns, but as You Matter Appalachia Ambassadors.

“These young people didn’t just complete an internship,” Walker said. “They stepped into a role. They’re ambassadors for their communities now, and that’s a responsibility we’re proud to have helped prepare them for.”

The title of ambassador represents what organizers hope will happen long after the summer ends. These young people are now being encouraged to carry the message of You Matter Appalachia into their schools, colleges, workplaces, families, and communities.

The success of You Matter Appalachia will not ultimately be measured only by nine weeks, 36 graduates, completed projects, or hours worked. Its true impact will be measured by what happens next.

It will be seen when an intern applies for a position they once thought was beyond their reach. It will be seen when a young person who once sat quietly in the back of a room confidently stands in front of one.

It will be seen when someone chooses to invest an idea, business, career, or family in Appalachia. It will be seen when an intern tells another young person that their ideas matter. It will be seen when someone who was invested in this summer turns around and invests in someone else.

That is the ripple effect.

When young people believe they matter, they begin to believe their choices matter. When they believe their choices matter, they begin to understand that they can influence their families, workplaces, and communities.

When they better understand their community, they begin to recognize both its challenges and its possibilities. When a generation of Appalachian young people begins to see itself not simply as residents of the region, but as builders of its future, the possibilities extend far beyond one summer internship.

For nine weeks, You Matter Appalachia gave students real-world, hands-on experience. They learned about careers, leadership, communication, service, health, tourism, and community development. They planned events, completed projects, traveled to other Appalachian communities, served families, and learned alongside professionals.

But they also learned something that cannot be measured on a résumé.

They learned that Appalachia is not something they have to overcome. It is something they can be proud of.

They learned they are free to explore the world, pursue opportunities, and go wherever their dreams take them – but home can also be a place where dreams are built.

They learned that building a stronger community does not always begin with a massive project or millions of dollars. Sometimes it begins with adding a chair to a tourism trail. Sometimes it means preserving a piece of local history, sharing helpful health information, or giving families a fun day together.

Sometimes it begins by looking another person in the eye and letting them know they have value.

Most importantly, the interns learned that they matter. Along the way, they also learned that their neighbors matter, their communities matter, and the story of Appalachia matters.

The first summer of You Matter Appalachia may have ended July 31 but its purpose was never meant to end with graduation. Planning is already beginning for the 2027 program and another class of Appalachian leaders.

The hope is that these 36 young people will carry the message forward. From those 36, it can reach 36 more – and then hundreds more – creating a ripple that reaches people who were never part of the internship at all.

Because the greatest investment a community can make is in its people. Building a prosperous Appalachia for generations to come begins by investing in the young people who will inherit it, giving them meaningful opportunities today, and making sure they know one simple truth:

You matter – and what you do next can matter to someone else.

Dorothy Dillon is the Health Program Development and Outreach Manager at the Martin County Health Department.