In 2016, New South Media launched “The Struggle to Stay” campaign, another partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting. This social media campaign sought to identify issues that cause people to leave the state. A grant allowed for a regular Public Broadcasting segment, also called “The Struggle to Stay,” an Inside Appalachia podcast. A second part entitled “Reasons to Remain” launched in spring 2018, and it focuses on the positive aspects of living and working in West Virginia.


Struggle to Stay Stories

From Tumblr

Is Love Enough?
As a 24-year-old who graduated from Marshall University’s Graduate College, I made the choice to give back to the state who has given me so much. As a native West Virginian I am honored and proud to tell people where I am from and share my love and passion for the mountain state. I decided to… Continue Reading

Not quite giving up.
Almost a decade ago, my husband and I gave up a very comfortable life in another state to move to WV. We love the people, the weather, the mountains, the big fish, small pond opportunities we first found and it felt like home. It is home. In just a short time, my husband realized… Continue Reading

I’m a West Virginian.
I’m so WV that I get agoraphobic when I’m away from these hills. I’ve lived elsewhere, but there was always a deep homesickness that I could never shake. So I’m back. I don’t want to leave again… Continue Reading