We were founded in 1969 by young people who chose not to wait to see what was possible — but to build it themselves.

The film workshop that started it all taught young people in Whitesburg, Kentucky how to tell stories with cameras, audio recorders, and a “portable video machine” at the hands of an instructor who was still quite young himself.

From our very inception, Appalshop has been youth-led and youth-driven, and we continue that legacy today by welcoming and empowering young people into every aspect of our organization.

We have volunteer DJs under the age of 20, college-aged interns organizing our annual music festival and learning from our professional archivists, and people of every age joining the work with our partners in the Letcher County Culture Hub.

We also have programming specifically geared to develop young people’s skills, hone their leadership, and broaden their impact.

Appalshop believes in letting people tell their own stories, and that includes young people. Almost 20 years after the first films at Appalshop were made by young people who were participating in a community film workshop, we officially founded our Appalachian Media Institute (AMI) in 1988 for Appalachian youth.

AMI helps young people use media to ask — and begin to answer — critical questions about themselves and their communities. We intentionally position youth as initiators of dialogue and social action around crucial community issues, and we help them to see themselves that way, too.

We foster positive attachments to Appalachia and Appalachian traditions, even as their exposure to media pushes our young people to see themselves as part of an interconnected world. Indeed, with 80 percent of our AMI interns moving from our program into higher education, and with AMI serving as an incubator for regional initiatives such as The Stay Together Appalachian Youth Project (STAY), we know our program’s impact extends even beyond filmmaking itself.

Our young filmmakers’ work has been featured by:

and recognized with the Coming Up Taller Award, presented by Hillary Clinton. Over 1,200 young people have passed through AMI.

Since All Access EKY began in 2017, we’ve already produced more than two dozen media pieces. They range from portrait-driven documentaries — “I Know My Body,” “You Don’t Have to Rush,” or “Times Have Changed” — to informational explainers like “Let’s LARC About It” or “What Is Consent?“

At the core of All Access EKY’s structure is an engaged advisory board of healthcare workers, policy advocates and leaders from our ten county service area who work directly with our youth producers to create a model of change that’s intergenerational and regionally specific. Appalshop’s Appalachian Media Institute and Community Media Initiative coordinate All Access EKY in partnership with the Kentucky Health Justice Network and Power to Decide, the campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

Our Mission & Approach

All Access EKY is Kentucky’s first statewide contraceptive access initiative focused on rural and underserved communities. Our mission is to ensure young people and marginalized populations can make informed decisions about their reproductive health without barriers.

AAEKY centers on health equity, cultural relevance, and privacy, delivering services that meet people “where they are”—both physically and socially. We do this through:

• A confidential, no-cost contraceptive mailing program that sends emergency contraception, condoms, pregnancy tests, and over-the-counter contraceptives directly to individuals’ homes.
• Community education and storytelling campaigns rooted in Appalachian culture to normalize reproductive health conversations and reduce stigma.
• Provider training and support to improve clinic capacity and teen-friendly services across the region.
• Partnerships with local health departments, clinics, schools, and grassroots organizations to tailor services to community needs.

Our Impact in the Region

AAEKY started as a program serving 14 counties in Eastern Kentucky, all classified as contraceptive deserts, and has since expanded statewide. Through the mailing program alone, we have reached individuals facing financial hardship, lack of transportation, and privacy concerns—barriers that often prevent clinic visits.

Participant surveys reveal that 100% of users would recommend the service, praising its confidentiality and ease of access. Many users shared stories about the importance of discreet contraception access in conservative communities where stigma remains high.

At the clinic level, our surveys found that only a small number of local clinics offer comprehensive contraceptive services like IUD or implant insertion, largely due to shortages of trained providers and limited infrastructure. Our training programs have helped bridge these gaps, equipping healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.

Our after-school Appalachian music program, Passing the Pick and Bow, puts banjos, fiddles, guitars and mandolins in the hands of nearly 100 students each year. It’s free, year-round, and part of Appalshop’s broader mission to foster pride and connection to Appalachian arts and culture.

Pick and Bow is often the only music education that our local children and teens get. Each semester begins with an assembly performance by our eight instructors in schools where the program operates. After lessons from traditional master musicians for the duration of the school year, it’s students’ turn to perform at the end of the semester.

Appalshop started Pick and Bow in Letcher County in 2003, then expanded it to Knott County in 2016 with the Hindman Settlement School and again to Floyd County in 2018 with South Arts. Pick and Bow is part of WMMT’s commitment to old-time and traditional music, and the program is just one way we’re working to pass on our Appalachian heritage to younger generations.

With a listening radius in five Appalachian states, our programming is as diverse as our listenership, putting the lie to the stereotypes about our region and spotlighting the incredible diversity that has always made up Appalachia.

The programming on Appalshop’s radio station WMMT 88.7 FM is as eclectic as the tastes of the 50-odd volunteer DJs who run it. With a listening radius that extends into five Appalachian states, the vast majority of the music and public affairs reporting that we broadcast comes directly from the communities that tune in to hear it.

We have programmers like Zelma Forbes, a math professor known for yodeling on her show, “Sweet Tater’s Tubers;” regionally renowned musician Rich Kirby, who currently plays with his band Rich and the Po’ Folk and DJs the show “Deep in Tradition;” and Tanya Turner, a sex educator who anchors our “Feminist Friday” show.

Our DJs are as diverse as our listenership, because both come directly from the mountain communities we draw from and amplify.