Summer Programs for Children in Appalachia

Abstract

The Appalachian region receives little national attention or funds to alleviate its rampant poverty. Rawls’s concept of fair equality of opportunity should be the goal of programs that work to alleviate poverty. Christian Appalachian Project-Camp Shawnee, The Lunch Express, and Royal Family Kids’ Camps are three programs that aim to alleviate child poverty during the summer. Barriers to fair equality of opportunity in Appalachia are in the areas of health, education, environment, political involvement, and food insecurity. Improvements to Camp Shawnee should include more Appalachian involvement, political education, health education, and future planning. These can be measured through many comprehensive statistics across time.