In October 2004, I was invited to the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Walton Beach as Guest Speaker for their Children’s Sabbath Service. As per a Presbyterian News Service article dated Tuesday, June 12, 2001: July 2001-July 2011 has been declared the “Decade of the Child”. Children’s Sabbath aims to unite religious congregations of all faiths across the nation in common concern for all children and in common commitment to improving their lives and in working for justice on their behalf. Twenty-three Youth Village children & parents accompanied me to this event.
On March 10, 2006, to lead-off into Juvenile Justice Week (March 13-17) The Okaloosa County Juvenile Justice Council held a Youth Fair at the Santa Rosa Mall in Ft. Walton Beach. The Youth Village students sang songs and performed a skit on anti-bullying. Six other program children entered the Council’s poster contest and 2 were put on display in the Department of Juvenile Justice building in Ft. Walton Beach. Other Youth Village students helped to man our booth and hand out anti-bullying pamphlets as well as other community resource information.
In the summer of 2006, in collaboration with Cox Communications, Youth Village filmed a 25 minute docu-drama entitled “Stop! No Bullies Allowed In Here”. The children starred in the movie which answered such questions as “What is Bullying, what are the different types of bullies, why children bully other children, what if your child is a bully and what we as a community can do to curtail this problem.” Our film was shown on Cox Channel 6 in Okaloosa County and Cox Channel 2 in Escambia County during the fall of 2006. Also, various schools, including Bruner Middle School, showed the movie during the school day. Copies of this film are available at no cost to youth organizations, churches, civic groups and other organizations.
In May 2006, Youth Village participated in the “Family Reading Fun Day” at the Ft. Walton Beach Public Library. This event was sponsored by WSRE Public Television, in partnership with the Fort Walton Beach Library, WEAR Channel 3, Cat Country 98.7, Coast 100, Corsair, Northwest Daily News, Destin Log, Gosport, Independent News and the Pensacola News Journal, as well as local schools and literacy organizations. We set up a booth with spelling and word games with prizes for the highest scores.
In October 2006, The Bluewater Bay Tennis Center hosted the United States Tennis Association Florida Section-Region 1W Event “Celebrating Success!” Youth Village after school and summer program was awarded the 2006 Non-Profit Program of the Year by the USTA Region 1 West. Youth Village was recognized as the only program in the District (Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton Counties) that provides a tennis program as a part of their after school program. These weekly lessons are provided at no cost to the children and are given by 3 volunteers, who are USTA (United States Tennis Association) Certified Developmental Coaches.
In November 2006, Youth Village, in partnership with JC Penny Co., Inc. of Fort Walton Beach, sponsored a “Lights on Afterschool” essay contest. The contest was open to all past and present enrollees of the Youth Village After School Program and the topic was “Why After School Programs Are Important To My Community and Why After School Programs Are Important To Me.” There were 3 Grand prize winners in each of the three different age categories (7-9, 10-12, 13-15). Three top winners received a $50 savings bond and a $25 gift certificate from JC Penny. “Lights On Afterschool” is a national campaign spearheaded by the Afterschool Alliance. The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to draw national attention to the need for more funding for innovative after-school programs.
In January 2007, Youth Village participated in the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at the Chester Pruitt Recreation Center in Ft. Walton Beach. As a Community Service, the children manned a booth and distributed information pamphlets to parents from the Department of Education, to include: “100 Tips for Parents”, “Questions Parents Ask About Schools” and “Helping Your child Become a Responsible Citizen.” The children also assisted at the refreshment stand and marched in the parade.
In January 2007, the children participated in the “Bluewater Bay Kids Day” in Bluewater Bay, which was sponsored by The Tennis Channel & Cox Communications. The children played tennis, helped out at the refreshed stand, served as ball girls & boys and participated in several fitness activities as well.
In February 2007, the Youth Village children took part in the First Annual Cox Gulf Coast Black History Arts Festival at the Emerald Coast Conference Center on Okaloosa Island. The children donned costumes to portray such people as Marian Wright Edelman, Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James, Judith Jamison, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Quincy Jones and Mae C. Jemison, to name a few.
In April 2007, the Youth Village children participated in the The Okaloosa County Juvenile Justice Council’s "Youth Fair 2007" at the Santa Rosa Mall. The children served as entertainers with dances and songs to the mall audience. They also manned a booth to distribute educational information to students & parents.
In May 2007, the Okaloosa County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated awarded Youth Village as their recipient of their annual May Week Community Service Award. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is a sisterhood of college-educated women committed to public service. Their annual May Week Observance gives them an opportunity to recognize local Educators, Businesses, and Community Service Organizations and distribute scholarships to local graduating seniors. Youth Village was nominated for the Community Service Award because of our commitment to working with local youth and providing a safe place for children during the out-of-school hours.
In July 2007, Youth Village volunteer Geretta Bogar was featured on the WEAR-TV News with Ms. Sue Straughn as an “Angel in Our Midst”. Mrs. Bogar was recognized as a volunteer who devotes a great deal of her time, energy, prayers and love to the children of Youth Village. She was shown as a woman who mentors, helps with homework, patches “boo-boos”, dries tears, listens to, corrects behavior, cleans up, mops up and does anything else that is necessary to make life easier, happier and safer for the children of our community.
The children of Youth Village have starred in 2 musical productions which were written, directed and choreographed by the staff members of Youth Village along with student input. The 2 productions were entitled: Middle School Moments (July 2006) and After Middle School (August 2007) and were performed before live audiences at Striving for Perfection Ministries in Ft. Walton Beach. The children learned how to work individually as well as in group settings. They also learned the various genres of theater, such as comedy, tragedy, musical and drama.
Youth Village has recently partnered with the Okaloosa Arts Alliance, which is the officially designated arts agency for Okaloosa County. The purpose of OAA is to support and promote art and culture in Okaloosa County through a variety of means.
With the upswing in young girls entering the Juvenile Justice System, we’ve added a component to our program entitled “Conversations Between Us Girls” for girls aged 10 and over. The girls are mentored in such areas as abstinence, personal hygiene, avoiding peer pressure and lessons on how incorporating positive decision-making into their lives.
