Ko Cha' Ta "Seth" Young

Seth Young is the Executive Director of the Augusta Heritage Center, where he focuses on addressing the challenges facing Appalachia today through the transformative power of the traditional arts. His graduate research focuses on the impact of a mother's singing voice on brain myelination and synapsis development in children ages birth to 3. Young has created several successful after-school music programs for elementary students and teens and creative aging programs focused on the joy of communal singing. Under his direction, the Augusta Heritage Center received The Governor's Arts Award for the best traditional arts organization in West Virginia and the Vandalia Award (The highest folklife award in WV) for guiding and ensuring quality arts education amid the pandemic.