Intergenerational Community Visions in Appalachian Ohio

In this research note, we present analysis of initial qualitative data collection from a larger community-engaged research project we are conducting about intergenerational community visions in Appalachian Ohio. Many people working in community action efforts in southeast Ohio today had their start during the War on Poverty programs in the 1960s. These community leaders are now at retirement age and, along with the context of an aging population in many small Appalachian Ohio communities, are confronting challenges to leadership succession. At the same time, younger generations across the region are becoming more active in their communities, but it is unclear the extent to which the two generations, younger and older, are working together. Through analysis of three focus groups with intergenerational community leaders in Appalachian Ohio, we find five common themes that participants discussed as important for community-building as well as some evidence of tension between generations. Based on these findings, we make two practical recommendations for community leaders and groups interested in developing intergenerational collaboration, and we contribute to the academic literature on intergenerational community-building in rural Appalachia.