AFN Members Only

The Arts & Culture Group invites all interested AFN members to join them for two sessions around Creating Climate Resilience in Appalachian Communities, featuring Maida Owens of the Louisiana Division of the Arts Folklife Program.

This two-part workshop will explore how environmental changes will affect communities.  The first session introduces climate adaptation with a special focus on climate migration within the United States and how receiving communities can better welcome newcomers.  This workshop challenges you to start thinking like a future ancestor and asks:  What will future generations wish we had done?  The workshop is designed for both those new to these issues and those who have been involved with climate adaptation work. 

The first session covers basics about climate change such as mitigation and adaptation, in addition to environmental economic and political changes predicted by 2030. It will also cover migration and relocation issues including level of risk, economics, demographics and cultural issues as well as strategies that communities can use to welcome newcomers and resources from immigration, arts, and folklore scholarship. 

Participants will be asked to prepare for the second session by using the Plan to Plan worksheet.  Then during the second session we will review your findings in order to become familiar with players, issues, and resources in the Appalachian region and develop action plans. 

Maida Owens is a folklorist who has directed the Louisiana Division of the Arts Folklife Program since 1988. She is a founding member of the Bayou Culture Collaborative, an initiative of the Louisiana Folklore Society. Through monthly online gatherings and working groups, the BCC connects those interested in the intersection of traditional culture, the arts and science in the face of Louisiana’s land loss and environmental changes. Her focus is on the impact of migration upon our cultures in the face of coming disruption.

Learn more about the Arts & Culture Group.