Classes
THRIVE Appalachia helps youth explore their gifts and talents, cultivate new skills, and connect with exciting opportunities in high-quality classes with
professionals in their field.
Social Entrepreneurship Projects
Kid's Cafe
For the second year, THRIVE Appalachia is delighted to
partner with TRACTOR Food and Farm and Reconciliation House
on our Kid's Cafe Project. Tractor is resourcing produce from
local farms for our award-winning pies and new international cuisine menu. In the Reconciliation House commercial kitchen, youth are cooking and baking and then selling their culinary delights weekly on the TRACTOR CSA website.
Appalachian Good Wool Project
THRIVE Appalachia is thrilled to be partnering with sheep and alpaca farmers in our local fibershed, including Wellspring Farm (Burnsville, NC), Jane Sawyer (Black Mountain, NC), and Knolveston Farm (Spruce Pine, NC). THRIVE Appalachia purchased wool from these local farmers, had it spun at Green Mountain Spinnery, and woven at Thistle Hill Weavers into their signature wool fabric. Teens are sewing the fabric into upscale jackets with hand-forged penandular brooches created by our blacksmithing apprentices. This project is made possible by a generous Creating New Economies Fund (CNEF) grant from The Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities program.
Viva Appalachia
We are launching our third group enterprise project in 2024 in which Yolanda Tapia, a local Mexican cook, will be teaching youth traditional Mexican cuisine, starting with homemade tortillas and gorditas. Reconciliation House will host us once again in their commercial kitchen and Tractor has agreed to purchase any traditional Mexican value-added products the kiddos make in this program! Dig In, a new community partner, is teaching youth to grow a salsa garden for future salsa production.
apprenticeships
THRIVE Appalachia connects youth with life-changing, apprenticeships, working with master craftspeople and world-class artists. Youth that are at least 16 years of age are eligible for paid apprenticeships.
