Symphony works to make music more accessible
As the arts community wrestles with the ongoing effects of COVID-19, the Columbus Symphony will approach the upcoming year with a new focus and direction.
The organization aims to increase its outreach efforts with “We Are Here for You,” a three-year initiative that will help tether central Ohio communities together through the power of music.
In the first year of the program, Executive Director Denise Rehg said the symphony will expand opportunities and provide free access to classical music performances and education, with an emphasis serving underserved communities.
“Our intention is to keep expanding ways to be here; to continue to be
struggling youth looking for structure, socialization and mentorship.
As COVID-19 restrictions eased enough in recent months, “the need was so great as families transition to going back to work,” said Kristy Adams, the director of the South Side club, where 75 kids are enrolled and about the same amount are on a waiting list. “This is a place where they can be kids again and just forget about the outside world for a bit.”
Now, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the city of Columbus, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Ohio will be able to expand its programming and, its leaders hope, reach more young people like Croom and Griffin who could benefit from its myriad services.
“The investment is clearly going to allow us to serve more teens and serve them more comprehensively, and we’ll be able to position our young people in a way where they can be leaders themselves and be heard,” said Doug Wolf, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio. “We’re trying to connect best with their hearts and their minds – they know what they want and we want to provide programs and experiences that reflect those passions.”
Part of more than $19.7 million in American Rescue Plan funding that Columbus City Council approved in midjune, the half-million-dollar investment comes at a time when city leaders have placed a focus on funding youth programming in an effort to keep teens and children occupied in a year stained by youth violence.
“Investing in our youth this summer is essential following an extremely difficult year full of COVID-19 challenges and disruptions,” said Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown in a statement when council approved the funding to the Boys & Girl Clubs. “The investments we make now will pay dividends into the future of our kids and our neighborhoods.”
In central Ohio, the Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4,000 young people in grades K-12 each year, 93% of whom are considered economically disadvantaged and 23% of whom report that they live in households with annual
incomes less than $5,000.
News of the city council grant comes as the organization continues construction that began last November on a new $13.5-million facility in Columbus’ Milogrogan neighborhood. With a mix of funding from private donors and the city, the project will replace the clubs’ former 65-year-old building at Cleveland and Gibbard avenues.
After the grant was awarded, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio hosted a town hall for its youth members in mid-july that provided them a platform to voice their concerns and advocate for the initiatives and offerings they think would most benefit them.
The ideas the youth raised – more mentorship opportunities, more traveling for field trips, additional classroom supplies – will factor into how the organization’s leaders decide to spend the grant funding going forward, Wolf said.
Though the grant’s implementation will unfold over three years, Wolf said the initial funding ideas include launching workforce and career development opportunities for the older teens, increasing or rethinking staffing in order to open the clubs during non-traditional hours, and partnering with likeminded area organizations so the young members can take advantage of all that central Ohio offers them.
The Boys & Girls Clubs are also in conversations with the city of Columbus and the Franklin County Juvenile/ Domestic Relations court to incorporate their programs into prevention and intervention services for young people who are at risk of contact with the justice system, Wolf said.
“A single contact is too many and has long-term consequences for young people,” Wolf said.
The focus will be on making mental health assessments accessible to youth in the community, said Julie O’reilly Troth, director of Youth Education & Intervention Services in the Franklin County Juvenile/domestic Relations Court. However, Troth said she had no additional information to share while the planning is still in the early phase.
“The Court values the importance of our community partnerships and intervention programs provided to the youth and families of Franklin County,” Troth said in an email.
As plans unfold, Wolf said he hopes to foster a community conversation that spurs concrete actions to support youth when they need it most.
“I believe there are no bad kids – there are kids who have been surrounded by devastating circumstances,” Wolf said. “We’re not setting out to ‘fix kids’ – we’re taking amazing kids and we’re helping support them and provide them with the skills and network to be successful.” elagatta@dispatch.com @Ericlagatta
“I believe there are no bad kids – there are kids who have been surrounded by devastating circumstances. We’re not setting out to ‘fix kids’ – we’re taking amazing kids and we’re helping support them and provide them with the skills and network to be successful.”
Doug Wolf CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio