Local youth will have the opportunity to join a new afterschool program that will provide tutoring, character development and mentors.
Initiative for Motivating People to Achieve, Cope and Thrive — IMPACT — is a free program that starts Monday geared toward at-risk youth. IMPACT Executive Director Lakisha Fisher and her husband Sjon Fisher of Marion created the initiative.
“We created the program by looking at the needs in our community,” she said.
She said local youth need guidance, especially in light of recent violent incidents.
“You wonder how they get to that point to make that decision,” she said. “(We want to) get the community involved and reach these kids, so they won’t commit these crimes. We need these preventative measures.”
The Board of Directors for Clarence Faulkner Community Center, 1221 W. 12th St., adopted the program, which they will implement starting with registration Monday and Wednesday from 5-7 p.m.
Board member Bobbie Owensby said the program correlates with the center’s initiative to provide tutoring for youth.
“We were looking for programs to offer the community,” she said. “We have always done something with tutoring and this provided an opportunity to continue our tutoring.”
Not only does IMPACT offer tutoring but there is a parent component.
“We will teach them how to be nurturing,” Lakisha Fisher said. “We are targeting
the youth and their families. The activities within the Family Management program are facilitated to strengthen the family bond by coordinating a time for family members to come together. Family Night consists of fun, therapeutic and interactive activities for the entire family.”
Fisher said the program will help 30 juveniles from the ages 12-18 and each will have a mentor. The mentors will be students from Indiana Wesleyan University, community leaders and church members.
“Eventually we want more,” she said. “We will continue to monitor their success and have them come back and speak to some of the (new) kids. Youth are very important. They are going to be leading our community. If we don’t develop them into great leaders our community will deteriorate.”
Organizers say IMPACT will be the catalyst to linking youth, organizations, churches and the community together to build young leaders, families, safer neighborhoods and a stronger community. The goal is to foster their growth and development in health, education, culture, fine arts, leadership development, family stability and financial literacy.
“Through the workshops/curriculum in the prevention program we will work toward combating juvenile delinquency, school truancy, teen pregnancy, sexual exploitation, drug/alcohol abuse and gang involvement,” Fisher said.
Success of IMPACT will be measured by monitoring the grades and seeing the participants go to college, trade school or the military.
Sjon Fisher said the program is needed, especially in the male population.
“Working with males I’ve seen the need to have positive figures,” he said. “If we don’t get this right things aren’t going to get better. I feel like so many males in Grant County didn’t have a positive male role model. We spoke with probation officers; they see the same people in and out of the system. I feel like every family needs an outside influence to mentor their child.”
Owensby said students need to know the community cares.
“Hopefully what the students will see is that people want to make an impact in their life to help them be successful,” she said.
The program received funding from Moorehead Family Foundation, whose mission is dedicated to helping programs improve our community.
“We are open and welcome anyone that wants to get involved and help the program,” Owensby said.