Program to connect youth, first responders
A partnership between Newark Division of Police and Newark-based nonprofit Hope Valley aims to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community’s youth.
Kicking off with a community day in the division’s parking lot, the six-week program, located on Hope Valley’s facility, incorporates mentorship for high school aged kids and activities for a broader age range.
“We’ve created Hope Behind The Badge,” Newark Police Sgt. April Fleming explained. “It’s going to be this six-week program after (community day) and then it’s going to continue throughout the year as we come across things. The mission behind all of it is to bridge the gap between first responders, the youth, and our community.”
Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. June 18, NPD will host a community day in their parking lot between their station and Newark Division of Fire. Newark Police Officer Dave Arndt said representatives from each of their agency’s units will be on site, from members of their Special Operations Group to K9s and their handlers.
Arndt said the fire department is also participating and will have fire trucks there. There will also be bounce houses and activities for kids.
The six-week program will be on Wednesdays beginning June 29 at Hope Valley on Gratiot Road. The first two hours will be a mentorship program full of representatives from various careers, officers clad in volunteer T-shirts, and high school age kids. Following that, the remainder of the day will be spent doing activities with the officers, high school and middle school aged kids.
“What we’re hoping is as this progresses, the middle age kids then become the high school kids and it just keeps building upon itself,” NPD Chief
Erik Mckee said. There are about 35 kids signed up for the six-week program.
According to Newark Police Deputy Chief John Brnjic, their officers, who will volunteer their time, won’t be mentoring in the classroom, but while they’re fishing or hiking or doing various activities.
Arndt said the agency has a list of about 10 officers who have volunteered their time on Wednesdays to the program.
Mckee explained because Wednesdays are the days where their staff overlaps, officers volunteering for the program won’t take away from coverage throughout the city.
Oftentimes, Mckee said, kids will equate what they see happening nationally with law enforcement as happening
locally, which isn’t the case. Mckee said kids are sponges and the more positive interactions they have with police, it can help break the cycle as they get older.
“It’s important to us because as far as how police officers are seen in communities nationally, it’s translating into our communities,” Arndt added. “We want to break down that wall between police officers and kids in the community and relieve those anxieties and show them we’re just normal people and like the same things they do.”
Hope Behind The Badge has nine donors, including Newark’s Moose Lodge which donated $10,000 last week.
Administrator Dan Prouty said their organization is all about trying to help their community and the more they can
help, the better off the community will be. Part of Hope Behind The Badge includes rape aggression defense classes held throughout the city by NPD. For more information about the class or to arrange one, contact Fleming at 740670-7903 or Afle@newarkohio.net or Violet Queen at 740-281-4960 or Violet@hopevalleyblessings.org.
Brnjic said the Hope Behind The Badge program can be as big and creative as the agency wants as time goes on. He likened it to the agency’s athletic league, but more inclusive.
“I don’t care if it reaches one kid,” Brnjic said. “To me, that’s worth everything.”
For more information about Hope Behind The Badge, visit Newark Police’s Facebook page.