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City program gets teens off streets, into rec centersJul 15, 2011 (The Columbus Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Since Columbus experienced a spike in violence last summer, city leaders have been trying to prevent a repeat by getting young adults involved at local recreation centers through a new city program. The Applications for Pride, Purpose & Success program is hosted by four city recreation centers: Barnett, Linden, Beatty and Driving Park. Linden is north of Downtown; the other three are east of Downtown; "When they're here being productive, they're not out on the street in harm's way," said Mayor Michael B. Coleman as he toured a program at the Barnett Community Center last night. The APPS program is a joint effort of the mayor's office and the Recreation and Parks Department, which received $400,000 in city funding to run the program through the end of the year. It started in June. Columbus homicides jumped to 105 last year, with spring and summer being the most violent. July 2010 was the worst, with 12 homicides. The APPS program is operating in tandem with a police strike force that for the past few summers has worked to curb violence citywide. "It's a new model," said Corey Leftridge, recreation coordinator for APPS. "There's the law-enforcement side, and then there's this side trying to give them options." The program is designed for those between the ages of 14 and 21; activities are as varied as sports, dancing, video-game tournaments and art projects. But the program also offers mentoring, high-school equivalency and college preparation, job training and HIV testing. "I'm going to give them what they want," Leftridge said. "But I'm also going to sprinkle in the things they know they need." Alex Harris, 18, is a recent graduate of Mifflin High School who started participating in APPS at Barnett when he heard from a friend that he could play basketball there. "I would rather be here than in trouble," Harris said. "They have different things for you to do every time." He will play basketball for the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima this fall, but he said program activities such as poetry, film and music classes are keeping him busy during the summer. To find other participants, staff members hit the pavement. "It's not just opening the door and saying, 'We're here,'" Coleman said. "It's actually going out and intervening." Desmond StormE Jones is one of the "foot soldiers" for APPS and an outreach specialist with the local nonprofit youth-crisis center Huckleberry House. He said that many of the people he talks to are receptive. "It depends on your approach," Jones said. "We're not trying to be the police." APPS programs will continue through the summer and into the fall and winter. Barnett and Linden host APPS activities on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Beatty hosts them on Tuesdays and Fridays. Driving Park's program operates on Mondays and Thursdays. All programs run from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. "My goal over time is to do more of this," Coleman said. For more information, visit http://parks.columbus.gov/APPS.aspx or call Corey Leftridge with Columbus Recreation and Parks at 614 645-8430. [email protected] To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |