Family Fun in April …Art, Outdoors, Baseball & Rainy Days

Indianapolis is full of great opportunities for families to explore, learn and have fun together. Here are a few of my favorite things to do.

ART
Art may sometimes seem inaccessible to kids, but it doesn’t have to be. The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is always a good place to start. Most of the exhibits are free, and both the indoor and outdoor spaces offer hours of education and entertainment. Let the kids lead the way and be sure to ask them questions about why they like certain pieces. The Contemporary Art collection, with its interactive exhibits, is usually a big hit with kids.

I’ve also found that many of the local art events have kid-friendly opportunities. The First Friday Art Tour, April 2nd, offers a wide variety of artistic experiences and is an excellent way for kids to see local, professional artists. Plus it's FREE! Galleries, open studios and alternative spaces are open for your family to explore. While most of the artwork is acceptable for all-ages, provocative pieces or art using nude figures can be good starting points for discussion on such topics as body-image and sexuality. My favorite regular First Friday stop is the Murphy Arts Center in Fountain Square (1043 Virginia Ave.). This month, drop in at Big Car Gallery for Ploplop – a selection of paintings, drawings, ephemera, objects found and transformed, flyers, posters, and documentary video clips. Other highlights this month include nature-inspired artwork created by VSAI artists at the enRoute Gallery in the Harrison Center (1505 N. Delaware) and the INFiber exhibit at the LCi Gallery (158 East 14th Street). Also, the Indiana Humanities Council (1500 N. Delaware) is hosting a pre-party featuring art on loan from the National Art Museum of Sport.

The Stutz Artists Association Open House (1060 N. Capitol Avenue) on April 23 & 24th is a great way to see where artists work and how art is created. Artwork ranges from paintings, drawings and photography, to sculpture, jewelry and furniture. Advanced sale tickets are $10, $12 at the gate, with a special $8 Saturday re-entry (with Friday's ticket stub). On Saturday only, kids 16 and under are free.

Stuck at home, but want to explore art in Indy? The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporay Art (iMOCA) has a series of videos from local artists explaining their art and inspiration. Watch the clips with your family and use them as a spring-board for discussion about inspiration, art and career.

The Earth House and IndyFringe are partnering for Spark a Revolution on April 9 (237 N. East St.) for a interactive experience of theatre, music and visual arts. It begins with Fringe Storytelling -- local actors will recreate your favorite childhood stories as you never imagined them before. "There's a lot of activity in the performance art that would be fascinating to all development stages," says Jordan Updike, Executive Director at The Earth House Collective. "The event is going to be fantastic and I recommend it for all ages."

The Intermedia Festival, April 23 - 25, at the Central Library explores the qualities of art related to technology. The festival will feature artists, musicians, videographers, dancers, actors and writers from around the world. While some will travel to Indianapolis, others will participate by performing online interactively with festival collaborators. Live drama, dance, music, visual arts, videography, scientific presentation, commentary and multi-tiered discussion platforms will come together to create a provocative and compelling set of experiences. Performers who will appear locally include Pamela Z, R. Luke Burtner, Bora Yoon, Big Robot, and Dance Kaleidoscope. Plus, it's FREE!

Now that the weather is warmer, combine a walk (or bike ride) around town with some art spotting. Here’s an online guide to Indy’s public art.

OUTDOORS
Speaking of bike-riding, Bicycle Indiana is offering Bicycle Traffic Skills 101 on April 10th. The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual. The fee for the class is $25 per participant and all registered participants who complete the course will receive a $25 gift card from Matthews Bicycles. For ages 14 and up.

Celebrate nature at the White River State Park on Earth Day. The Earth Day Indiana Festival, April 24th, combines 130 environmental and conservation exhibits with live music from some of Indiana's best new bands, special activities for kids and good food. (They’re also looking for volunteers age 15 and up.)

Get your hands dirty at the Indiana State Museum Arbor Day Celebration on April 30th. You’ll help plant a redbud, learn about volunteer opportunities to beautify neighborhoods, and get a free tree.

BASEBALL
April marks the beginning of the season for the Indianapolis Indians. For $15, children 14 and under can join the Knot Hole Club, which provides them with a season pass to all 72 home games. Individual ticket prices for parents range from $9 – 15. Here's April's schedule.

RAINY DAYS
April can be rainy. Very rainy. Luckily, there are many indoor activities that can be fun for the whole family. Let’s start at the library. Visit the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library website for a whole host of events for all ages. One event of interest this month is the Indiana Partnership for Young Writers Student Reading on April 21st at the Central Library downtown. Twenty area students in grades K - 8 will read poems, memoirs, fiction and other original writings. What a great way for kids to listen what other people their age are writing!

On April 25th, celebrate El Día de los Niños day with free admission to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. While you’re there, stop in at the library’s InfoZone to create a fun maraca craft to advocate literacy among children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The Indianapolis Children’s Theatre will present School House Rocks from April 12 – 17th. The award-winning Saturday morning cartoon series “Schoolhouse Rock” taught history, grammar, math, science and politics through clever, tuneful songs. Now, the popular 1970s TV show comes to life on stage instructing a whole new generation to “Unpack Your Adjectives” and “Do The Circulations.” Tickets are $10 for youth (18 and under) and $15 for adults.

Think that the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is for adults only? Think again. The St. Vincent Family Series concerts are designed just for kids and this month’s feature is Peter and the Wolf on April 18th, which combines the classical musical with a brand new stop-motion model animation film. Tickets range from $8 – 19 for kids and $16 - $36 for adults.

DVN Needs Input from Youth Workers

The Domestic Violence Network (DVN) invites you to participate in an important survey that will gauge how DVN can better support your organization's efforts towards fostering healthy, violence-free relationships for young people. Whether or not your organization offers programs in dating violence prevention and healthy relationships, your confidential answers will help guide the initiatives of Peace in Our Homes: A Call to End Domestic Violence through 2012.

Not only do they want to hear from those who are already engaged in this work, they want to learn about knowledge, attitudes and beliefs from others:

• If you are a domestic violence service provider, please take this survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GDRYCLX.
• If you work with young people in areas outside domestic violence prevention or healthy relationships, please take this survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NVWXQ3Z.

This survey will be open until April 5, 2010. Your input is vital to continue efforts to engage youth in healthy relationships. Completing the survey will give you the opportunity win a $25 gift card, so make sure to complete the contact information.

Do You Know Someone Making a Difference in the Lives of Central Indiana Youth?

Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) has announced a new awards program that promotes the work of youth development professionals. The Champions for Youth Awards recognize youth workers who have made a significant impact in the lives of young people.

The Champions for Youth Awards are designed to specifically honor excellence and impact from youth workers – those who show a unique and authentic commitment to supporting young people of any age. Youth development professionals like these approach their work in a number of ways, but have one thing in common: they combine high expectations with high levels of support to help young people discover success.

Through a competitive process, MCCOY is awarding $300 to the winning Champion and $200 to her or his organization, and two $100 awards for second and third places. The community decides; online voting begins next fall, but nominations begin now.

Do you know someone who you think would make a great Champion for Youth? Click here to get started.

Spending Time with Nature

Now that spring has finally arrived in Central Indiana, I’m reclaiming my “morning moment” routine: before rushing off to work, I sit on my back porch for five minutes. I listen to the songbirds, watch nuthatches run upside down on the walnut trees and count squirrels. These few moments in my tiny corner of nature help me stay centered during the day.

photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

As journalist Richard Louv pointed out in his 2008 best-seller Last Child in the Woods, spending time in nature is an essential human need and a rare occurrence for many of today’s children.

…Today, kids are aware of the global threats to the environment—but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading…

As a boy, I was unaware that my woods were ecologically connected with any other forests. Nobody in the 1950s talked about acid rain or holes in the ozone layer or global warming. But I knew my woods and my fields; I knew every bend in the creek and dip in the beaten dirt paths. I wandered those woods even in my dreams. A kid today can likely tell you about the Amazon rain forest—but not about the last time he or she explored the woods in solitude, or lay in a field listening
to the wind and watching the clouds move.

This book explores the increasing divide between the young and the natural world, and the environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual implications of that change. It also describes the accumulating research that reveals the necessity of contact with nature for healthy child—and adult—development…

photo by Isado

Yet, at the very moment that the bond is breaking between the young and the natural world, a growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies. As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.
– excerpted from Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Environmental Education Week April 11-17, 2010, gives educators and youth development professionals a springboard for helping children explore their natural world. A program of the National Environmental Education Foundation, the event website provides useful, fun ideas and activities for all ages.

You might even be able to get teenagers excited about Planet Connect’s Get Green video contest that challenges high school students to submit a one to two minute video showing how they’re reducing their carbon footprints. Entry deadline is May 2nd and prizes for winners include Apple computers and iPads.

Louv reminds us of nature’s wonderful calming effects, and we should remember our children learn from the behavior of the adults in their lives. "View nature as an antidote to stress," Louv wrote. “All the health benefits that come to a child come to the adult who takes that child into nature. Children and parents feel better after spending time in the natural world—even if it’s in their own backyard.”

2010 EASY Book Now Available!

Some economists are saying that the recession may be coming to an end. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean an end to the struggles faced by many families in central Indiana. Marion County Commission On Youth, Inc. (MCCOY) recently announced the arrival of its 2010 EASY Book (Essential Aid and Services for You). The guidebook provides important resources aimed at assisting families with basic needs, health care, life skills, and legal services among others.

Read full article.

Youth Development Professionals

In more recent years there has been a surge in out of school time services for youth. Such services include but aren’t limited to mentor, art, recreation, and academic enrichment programs. Many people are familiar with agencies such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the YMCA. When asked about the services these organizations provide we can probably articulate the descriptions very well.

However, if one were to inquire about the employees running these programs several questions may arise. Who are these people? What is their educational background? Are there specific competencies one must have to work with youth? As many who work in this field may know, youth development professionals come from a variety of backgrounds-Social Work, Psychology, Education, Business sectors, Law and many more. Many of us probably didn’t even begin our college education in pursuit of becoming a youth development professional. Better yet, many of us are failing to identify ourselves as professionals.

Commonly, people working with youth during the out of school time hours are regarded as youth workers. While we do work with youth in a variety of capacities, this phrasing fails to lend itself to the core and depth of work we do with young people. More importantly, it fails to validate our work as professional, intentional and meaningful.

I have been in this line of work prior to graduating college. Through the years I have participated in several hours of training and research related to youth development. After realizing television news wasn’t the best place for me I went back to grad school in pursuit of an education that would support my desire to work with young people and help develop them into successful adults. Unfortunately, it seems that there is a general lack of knowledge and respect for the work of a youth development professional. Often times I’ve heard from friends and others that working in an out of school time program is just babysitting and couldn’t be difficult. After laughing hysterically I proceed to identify the many competencies a youth development professional must have. Not only are we responsible for the physical safety of young people, but also the development of specific assets that contribute to their growth as a productive and contributing citizen. We work hard to provide supportive environments and opportunities for positive engagement and interaction. All of which are developed through strategies and activities that go far beyond babysitting.

As this field continues to grow and standards for programs and services are being developed as funding sources grow, “youth workers” are being urged to further develop skills and take advantage of professional development opportunities. To this end, I believe a “youth worker” who is making a commitment to enhancing her skills and build her capacity to better serve young people deserves the recognition as a professional. Moreover, institutions of higher education need to commit to developing programs of study that specifically address the education needs of a youth development professional.

Everyday Champion: Lisa Curran

This story is a part of our Everyday Champions series. Helping youth succeed takes commitment and action from our whole community. Everyday Champions are people who are committed and who act in small and big ways to support youth in central Indiana. Do you know someone who you think would make a great Champion for Youth? Click here to get started.

From work to home, Lisa Curran has a true passion for youth and their needs. As Senior and Youth Program Coordinator, she runs the afterschool, summer camp and Senior programs for the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE). Additionally, Lisa has fostered and adopted several children in her own home, many of whom have special needs.

"She treats the youth that we serve as her own," says CAFE Executive Director Melissa Drew. "She is committed, compassionate and understanding. I am always amazed by her spirit for the work she does."

How are you an Everyday Champion for Youth?
This is a difficult question to answer as I simply do everyday what my passion is and that is to work to serve the best interests of children. I started as a teenager providing free child care to a parent support group in the area I lived. I babysat every chance I had and knew that someday I would foster/adopt and work with children in whatever avenue I could find. I have been blessed to do this my whole adult life!

Through group home care, fostering, adopting, being a court appointed advocate volunteer, and now in my profession as a Youth Program coordinator, I embrace each day as an opportunity to make a difference in the life of the children I encounter. Each child has a purpose...each child has their own special gifts and talents and it is a privilege to help them discover their value and pursue their purpose.

What impact do you hope to make on youth?
I always make it a goal of mine that each child leave feeling better, stronger, more courageous having spent time together. I want them to know that there truly are limitless possibilities no matter their circumstance and that there are adults who can be trusted, who will encourage and not tear down, who will help and not hurt. I want to teach them to reach out and utilize the resources that are available to them.

What’s one thing that you wish an adult had told you when you were a young person?
That I could do anything that I actively pursued! That there were opportunities waiting to be discovered and shared!

What do you want to do next to support youth?
I want to continue to work in our after school program establishing relationships with the children entrusted to our care, supporting each individual child's academic endeavors. Through our summer camp program, I want to continue to provide educational and recreational memories for a lifetime. Also, I would like to continue to establish programming that supports the families of the children we serve to be the best they can be as parents/caregivers and citizens in the community that they live.

YPQA? Because quality is important!

Central Indiana is home to an amazing variety of out-of-school programs for youth, ranging from summer camps and scouting to academic and arts enrichment to mentoring and leadership development opportunities. There are many different ways for youth programs to meet the needs of young people and foster positive youth development, and there is healthy debate among youth development professionals over what and how this should be done. Yet there is research to suggest that quality matters in youth programming; young people who attend high quality programs tend to do better than those who participate in mediocre programs, and it’s even possible for a program to have a negative effect on kids (if things go horribly wrong).

So how can we know whether a program is high quality, and more importantly, how can we start using this information to improve youth programming in our communities? Happily, a scientifically valid and reliable tool to measure youth program quality exists and is already in use in Marion County: the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA), which was developed by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. The YPQA measures various aspects of four key components of quality youth programs: safety, support, interaction, and engagement. It is based on extensive empirical research and works in all settings and scales. Rather than looking at the usual outcome measures that only tell part of the story, the YPQA measures program quality at the point of service—where there may be the greatest impact on young people.

MCCOY has facilitated the YPQA process for several cohorts of local youth-serving organizations, and recently offered its own staff the opportunity to go through the YPQA External Assessor training. Although strictly speaking YQPA external assessors are supposed to have direct program experience (and I have very little, being a career fundraiser), I jumped at the chance to go through the training and learn more about what constitutes a quality youth program. I definitely enjoyed the experience, although it was a lot to process (and two and a half long, exhausting days). I always enjoy meeting program staff; their dedication and wisdom keep me inspired to do what I do. I think their thoughtful questions and analysis of different subtleties in the scenario videos we watched helped me eventually pass the qualification test, since I had quite a learning curve to overcome.

The YPQA assessments for the current cohort will take place over the coming months, and I look forward to playing my part in this important step for the Indianapolis youth development community. I do have an ulterior motive; the YPQA will also help advance the aims of the Early Intervention and Prevent (EIP) initiative, the subject of my work at MCCOY, which will better coordinate nonprofit services so that children and families get the services they need when they need them to reduce the risk of child abuse, neglect, and delinquency. We are currently hard at work preparing a strategic plan for the EIP initiative and I am certain that program quality—and our experience with the YPQA—will have a strong influence on our work.

Return on Investment

On page 2 ofthe March 17th edition of the Indy Star, Matthew Tully issued a call in his column for us to shift our attention from the healthcare debate and to focus our energy on an issue that threatens the future of our city and nation--education, or the lack of it. Matt goes on to point out that our vitality cannot be assured if we continue to have 25-30% of young people drop out of high school, because we are losing too many of future leaders, workers, and contributors. Matt also noted that there are signs that we have the potential to turn things around if we just keep pushing hard.

Then I flipped to page 1 and the headline read: Jump in Inmates is Biggest in U.S.: State Prison Population Rose 5.3 Percent Last Year.

Research shows that those who dropout of high school are much more likely to end up incarcerated, on public assistance, unemployed, and in poor health. If that isn't enough incentive to keep pushing, I don't know what else it will take.

Slamming A Door on Summer Youth Employment?

All of us who work with and for youth know that one thing just about every young person wants is a summer job. But last week, our elected officials made obtaining one in 2010 even harder. Despite a strong push from the workforce development field, an amendment to provide $1.3 billion for summer youth employment offered by Senators Murray and Kerry was defeated.
I just don't understand: we want young people to graduate from high school and move on to higher education but we cut funds for education. We want young people to learn work skills so they can succeed in the world of work but we don't appropriate funds to make more jobs available to them.
Investing in the vehicles--education and work---that will help young people develop knowledge and skills that they can use for a lifetime seem to me to be cost-effective strategies. Yet our elected officials seem to be pursuing another agenda that I can't seem to figure out.

Family Youth Interventions Program Created After Youth Emergency Services Closing—Is It Enough?

Youth Emergency Services (YES) closed on December 31, 2009. YES provided what previous YES Program Director John Kennedy called, “pre-system, in person, crisis care, 24/7, without an appointment, adjudication or diagnosis!” These services were available to provide comfort and safety to children and families during crisis or to intervene before the situation became a crisis. What impact has YES closing had on the children and families in Marion County, or is it still too early to tell? How have the gaps been filled? Read full article.

Everyone Needs to Care About Kids Graduating from High School!

There’s something exciting going on in our community: more and more people are beginning to realize that making sure that every young person graduates from high school prepared to become a positive, productive citizen is something that we all have to care about.

It not just schools and parents that need to care; so do business leaders, neighborhood activists, media personalities, sports stars, retail store owners, law enforcement, healthcare workers, government officials, and anyone else who want us to have a vibrant, safe, and healthy community.

Maybe we are beginning to genuinely understand that the positive development of young people is the responsibility--not just of some--but of the entire community. That really is exciting!

Listen to what John Brandon, MCCOY's president, had to say on 93 WIBC Saturday March 6, 2010. And here's more of the conversation with Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Indiana.

Do Arts Education Cuts Hurt in Other Ways?

Recently, IPS Superintendent White said $27 million in budget cuts were necessary to shore up the district’s financial outlook after property tax caps kick in – including money which would have gone to school funding.

And one of the areas in which he’s chosen to cut back is elementary school arts programs. The result would mean that kindergartners and first-graders would get art (and music) instruction from their regular teacher, rather than from a music or art teacher. Among White’s recommendations on cutting costs, this proposal has drawn the most criticism, mainly from inside IPS itself.

But strong evidence exists that links arts education with overall improved literacy skills. In a 2-year study in which hundreds of New York City 3^rd graders participated in a program called Learning Through Art, students in the program did better in a number of categories of literacy and critical thinking skills – including hypothesizing and reasoning.

Surprisingly quiet in the fray are parents and youth development professionals. “They’re going to cut education, and there’s no outrage,” said one parent. Do education cuts have to be a zero sum game? What are some strategies for advocating for comprehensive educational funding during tight economic times?