Grant awarded to youth projects

Bloomington's Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded two different grants this month that will help aid in community related youth projects across Bloomington. \nThe Indiana Criminal Justice Institute's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Office of Justice Programs is providing $75,000 to Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department and its partners, Rhino's youth center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana and Aurora High School. The Bloomington Area Arts Council, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts also awarded the Department and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater one of the 24 grants they gave out this year. \nThe $2,975 arts grant will fund the BCT family series, which will bring nationally recognized performers to the theater. Workshops after performances will be held for children in order to provide a hands-on experience with the performing arts. The grant will also aid in affordable ticket prices for the community. \n"Buskirk-Chumley Theater is doing a wonderful program with the grant money," said Nancy Krueger, assistant director of BAAC. "It is family friendly and extremely affordable, which is important to the community."\nThe $75,000 from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Office of Justice Programs will be used throughout the city to aid numerous organizations. Rhino's youth center will add a journalism program to its already successful after-school programs, which include a video program, a youth radio program and a mural art program. \n"This money will go a long way," said Brad Wilhelm, services director at Rhino's. "Not only will it help our new after-school program, but it will help support other youth programs." \nThese programs include a youth publication, Antagonist, which is youth-written, distributed and composed. Antagonist includes news, creative writing and poetry. \n"We had a lot of complaints from kids ages 13-18 who said that there was nothing to do in the community," Wilhelm said. "We have developed many activities where children can create and put in their voice where it really counts, giving them something to do in the community that really makes a difference." \nAurora High School and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana will also benefit from the grant. Aurora will be receiving a state-of-the-art media studio. Rhino's youth volunteers, who have experience with media equipment from their after-school video program, will help train the Aurora students how to use the new studio and its equipment. \nCaren Stoll-Hannon, youth services manager at Bloomington Parks and Recreation, stressed the importance of building strong after school programs. Stoll-Hannon said after-school hours are when children's high risk behaviors occur. \n"With these after school programs, children will have a place to go and will have something to do that is positive." Stoll-Hannon said. \nShe also said the skills these children will be learning at Rhino's and Aurora will be something they can use for the rest of their lives. \n"We are teaching the children skills with state-of-the-art equipment," Stoll-Hannon said. \nBig Brothers Big Sisters will also use grant money to expand its teen mentor program. According to Bloomington Parks and Recreation, adult mentors will serve as positive role models for teens and also assist in a program called "Finding their voices." The program provides youth with a media outlet to express their feelings through different forms of media. \nStoll-Hannon said she is extremely pleased with the opportunities that both the grants have provided for local area youth. \n"We are giving the youth of Bloomington a voice to say what is on their minds," Stoll-Hannon said. "We are also giving them hands-on experience that, hopefully, they will carry throughout the rest of their lives."\n -- Contact staff writer Monica Dix at mcdix@indiana.edu.