{"id":3570,"date":"2026-04-24T16:22:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/3570\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:22:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:22:07","slug":"coalfields-and-cobblestones-founder-to-visit-poland-for-partnership-development-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/3570\/","title":{"rendered":"Coalfields and Cobblestones founder to visit Poland for partnership development | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blake Moss, founder of \u201cCoalfields and Cobblestones\u201d, is currently preparing for a return trip to Poland in hopes of forming partnerships between Poland and Appalachia.<\/p>\n

Moss started the nonprofit with the goal of Poland and Appalachia learning from each other, helping one another and giving locals a chance to experience a part of the world they may never have otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going back next month, and when I go, I\u2019ll be hitting their coal-mining areas hard,\u201d he said. \u201cThey started their first coal mine in the mid-1600\u2019s, and have a rich coal-mining heritage. The main focus will be Silesia and Gdansk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moss said Silesia is a historic coal mining region, while Gdansk is home to the world\u2019s largest workers’ movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilesia was the European mining center for a long time, and was under communist rule for a while, leading to worker rights issues and a lot of the same things we\u2019ve dealt with in the coal industry,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, they\u2019re a global case study about how communities can recover from extracted industries and diversify their economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

While in Silesia, Moss said he\u2019ll be meeting with folks who specifically study mining and economic recovery from the mining industry.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is partnership development; when I originally went to Poland, I went for vacation, but I got so deep in the area,\u201d Moss said. \u201cThis is a follow-up, and I\u2019ll be curated by locals. They\u2019ve been incredibly helpful and I\u2019m very excited. We\u2019ll be narrowing down our partners and working on a commitment to get a small group to visit us here in Appalachia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moss said his trip will be from May 12 to May 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to let this not happen; I\u2019m wanting to lay the foundation for \u2018Project 2027\u2019, when future-focused Appalachian folks (18 and older) will have the opportunity to visit Poland\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a movement; I want to bring diplomacy to the people, to the grassroots level or \u2018grass roots diplomacy.\u2019 When we get things to where it\u2019s people to people, instead of solely government to government, a lot of these walls we\u2019ve put up amongst each other will fall down.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the Coalfields and Cobblestones Facebook page, or, coalfieldsandcobblestones.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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