Foundation hosts day of fun, learning

25 youth ages 8-12 play, collaborate at LCCC

The Community Foundation of Lorain County Youth Fund hosted a free youth day for local students.

In collaboration with Lorain County Community College (LCCC), youth between grades eight and 12 were welcomed to the Ewing Fieldhouse where they participated in a health fair and team-building exercises.

More than 25 Lorain County youths were on hand and Dr. Lisa Augustine, program coordinator for health and physical education and recreation at LCCC, said it was part of her mandate to build trust, communication, leadership as well as enhancing overall wellness.

Students met on the floor and worked together, taking with them resources and information on how to live healthier lives.

“They wanted to come out and do a teen mental health awareness and wellness event. So what they’re doing now is a health fair where they’re learning to eat this, not that, the importance of hydration, hand sanitizers, heart rate, exercise and heart rate distress,” Augustine said.

Teens tried indoor rock climbing, and physical team-building activities that encouraged them to build skills necessary to work together and collaborate.

Youth Fund Scholarship Manager Angela Lee said it’s always a pleasure to be able to work with LCCC.

Bringing youth together is what it’s all about, Lee said.

“It feels awesome always be working with the college with things because this is one of the things that helps the Youth Fund advisory board. We’re focused on bridging in the differences between all the different districts,” she said.

The Youth Fund Advisory Board is made of students representing seven Lorain County School Districts. They collectively decided to prioritize an afternoon of fun with students from other districts.

“We’re still in COVID, but we want it to have an area where they can just de-stress, and just come and just have fun and just be able to reflect and move forward in this year,” Lee added.

Working through team building exercises, students from different districts do not often have the chance to network and spend time with others when they aren’t competing.

Lee noted it is a wonderful thing to see young people all working together and learning to build trust and leadership skills among themselves.