Amanda Workman Scott: How did you first hear about the West Virginia Community Development Hub?
V Konopka: I first heard about The Hub through a graduate school course at WVU on community development. Over the course of three classes, my cohort worked with a community to develop a project implementation plan. I loved The Hub’s resources and shared them with the community members we were working with.
AWS: What interested you in the position of Community Coaching Associate with The Hub?
VK: I wanted to be a community coach, because The Hub believes in walking alongside residents in pursuit of their visions. Having a safe, enjoyable sense of home to be proud of is central to individual wellness and camaraderie in communities. I saw coaching as an opportunity to support and learn from West Virginians trying to actualize the homes of their dreams.
AWS: Why did you want to join The Hub team and make an impact in West Virginia communities through community coaching?
VK: As someone who grew up in and returned home to Appalachia, I’ve seen our communities boxed into harmful stereotypes of being backward and lacking the capacity or even drive to improve themselves. These notions aren’t true, and yet West Virginian communities still have real struggles because of them. Appalachia has a rich history of progress and ingenuity that deserves to be celebrated, and I see it as a privilege to encourage and support that in any way I can.
AWS: What has been your experience with community development and why do you think it is so important in West Virginia?
VK: My experience with community development has been sort of broad and varied. I was a high school teacher, and integral to that work is community building and collaborative learning. I’ve conducted oral histories for different projects and have seen how sharing stories can foster communities beyond geographic boundaries. In my work with Appalachian towns and organizers, a people-centered, storytelling approach has proven imperative to community development. West Virginian communities have been historically overlooked and extorted, but they are rich with ideas and changemakers. Based on what I’ve heard across the state, our communities need people with resources and technical knowledge to both believe and support them without telling them what to do–which is why community development and coaching are so important here.
AWS: What would you tell people curious about community development and what The Hub has to offer their communities?
VK: I think “community development” can sometimes sound ambiguous and intimidating–at least, that’s how I felt when I first heard the term. What I want communities to know is that community development is loving your community and investing that love into realizing tangible results that benefit your home holistically. It’s working towards a shared vision of what the best version of your community could be by finding the resources, information, and support to actualize it. And that last part is what The Hub helps with. The Hub listens to what a community wants and walks alongside its residents to build the tools, plans, capacity, and sense of empowerment needed for sustainable community improvement.
AWS: What draws you to community development work?
VK: So many things in community development excite and humble me. At the end of the day, I think what I love about community development is that it is communities writing their own narratives. A town’s story thus far might be one of the extractive industries and economic downturn. But resident empowerment means rewriting that narrative and developing their towns on their own terms. It might be silly, but I think about the Diana Ross lyric, “It’s my house, and I live here,” because she’s talking about how she’s in charge of her own space: People should live in places that feel like home, and they should get to define what home means to them. That’s a powerful thing. There’s also no way to not learn from communities and their stories along the way, so I’m always growing from community development work.
AWS: What are you looking forward to most in this position?
VK: I’m looking forward to helping communities and their residents feel empowered, both in the short and long term, long after The Hub isn’t as involved. I think that’s the biggest thing.
V Konopka is one of The Hub’s Community Coaching Associates. You can reach them at v.konopka@wvhub.org.