5.0. PRSR 07-10-1996 ITEM 5
eonvout
• Dayton • Elk River • Hassan • ISD 728 • Livonia • Otsego • Rogers • Zimmerman
1230 School Street NW • Elk River, MN 55330• (612) 241-3523 • FAX(612) 241-3521
BOARD
July 2, 1996
To: City of Elk River Park & Recreation Commission
Fr: Jeff Asfahl
Re: Update On "Youth Initiatives"
At the urging of Mayor Duitsman several months ago, Community Recreation staff have been paying
much attention to developing increased leisure time opportunities for our area youth. This attention to
youth needs has lead to a plan for increased opportunities at Lions Park and a strategy for the long
term as well, that relies on the effort of the whole community. I will be at your July 10th meeting to
further explain these initiatives and answer any questions that you may have.
Additionally, you will find attached other pieces of information related to our efforts associated with
the development of these youth initiatives.
. _
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Continued from page 1 1
III space, new or used. activities already,"he said.
Chris'Kelly, a senior, said "They want a variety of
students even liked the activities," said Leah
'Billiards, (no longer in busi- Underdahl,a sophomore.
ness) because it was a place Following the • panc1,
for them and where they did- Recreation Board President
n't get kicked out. 'What we Roger Holmgren said what's
need is the-right environ- missing is a youth facilitator.
merit,"she said. - . He said the Recreation Board
She urged the leadership to will look at hiring that kind of ,
act and study community can- Person.
ters around the area to see The board is made up of rep-
what has worked. resentatives from Elk River,
..
Students, she said, want a Otsego, Zimmerman, Livonia •1
lounge area, with a snack slbwnship,Dayton,Rogers and
area, even a television room Hassan Township.
The for leha o d no erehi red p Ron
where clean, wholesome Black
movies could be shown.
service with the first Pioneer
Kelly said youth don't care if
Award, a certificate signed by - I ,
the space is used, leased or
new "It's what's inside that Governor Arne Carlson and a
.
counts,"she said. framed picture of a 1924
Jared Lee, a junior, told the Ahrens Fox Model J. 715-gal-
Recreation Board to focus on lon-Per-minuth pumper—the
the roller rink and skateboard model owned by Black. 1
area. "Kids in sports have ..
_ . .... .
•
•
Youth
Summit
•
Data Summary
• Presented May 30, 1996
Youth Summit Questions and Answers
0 1 . "We often hear: 'There's nothing to do!' If there could be something to do ,
what would it be?"
Community Center/YMCA/Youth center Snowboarding Hill Lazer Tag
Sporting Goods Store Weight Lifting Roller Hockey
Roller Rink/Skateboard Track/Arcade Boxing Karate
Night Club/Dance Clubs More Fairs Billiards
More Open Gym Time Handball Teams Splat Ball
After School Classes-Language/Sign Language Use Old Arena in Summer Skiing Trips
Shopping-Group Trip to Mall of America Beach Volleyball Teams Beach Parties
More Intramural Sports (soccer) Summer Wrestling New Equipment
Summer Gymnastics (boys) Girls Football Teams Arts Activities
Summer Soccer Leagues Health Club (sculpting)
Wave Pool/Outdoor Sports Arena Bike Trails
Soccer Arena Coed Soccer Roller Blade
Taxicab Service Volleyball Field Trips
Play Auditions (for all ages) Softball
More Basketball Courts (Zimmerman & Rogers) Trails that join Zimmerman & Rogers
2. "If you had the 'something' to do, what makes it hard to participate in that
•
something?"
Live too far away- Transportation - Can't Drive Too Many Rules Money
No one left to take care of younger siblings Age Limit, I'm Too Young Curfews
Too many people at Open Gyms Homework Chores
Parent Permission - Trust Gender Limitations Safety
Don't Like Adult Supervision, Unfriendly/ Self- Consciousness Uncomfortable
Poor Facilities - Not Clean Short Hours Handicap
Not enough Equipment for all to use Not enough Staff Lack of Interest
Need New Technology Not enough Facilities
3. "What can be accomplished in 5-6 years (before you graduate)?"
Bike Trails - BMX Track Dance Club Driving Range
Water Park/Wave Pool/Outdoor Pool Batting Gages Mini Golf
Skate Park - Roller Blade - Skate Boarding Go Carts Bumper Boats
Groomed Snowmobiling Trails Horseback Riding Nature Center
Build Things in Rogers & Zimmerman Pave Lions Park Trails More Housing
More Transportation - More Developed - Build another School More Restaurants
Bussing More Fairs / Festivals Hobby Shop
• Organize Volunteers to Construct Indoor Soccer Fields
Temporarily Raise Taxes
Purchase land farther down 169 and in Otsego for building
Health Club-Pool, Weight Room, Basketball, Track, Tennis/Racketball Courts, Rock Climbing
4. "When we offer something, how can we get a variety of kids your age to
come?"
•
Kids baby-sit so adults have free time to build Trial Memberships Word of Mouth
Cheap Admission / Free Passes Grand Opening Contests
Buses for those who can't drive Door Prizes Special Nights
Publicize Teen Supervision (Freedom) Lots of Food Celebrities
Survey in Community Kids make yore Decisions Kids Raise Money
Advertisement - Newspaper, Posters, Flyers, Announcements at Schools, Radio, Commercials, Road
Signs, Print Information on Grocery Bags
5. "What can you / I do to make all this happen?"
Drive the Ice Cream Truck/Plane/Blimp Give our Ideas Volunteer at Places
Participate in Fund Raisers Mascots Make it Fun
Give out Flyers on Car Windows Make it Sound Good Put in Paper
Free Trial Membership Grand Openings Billboards
Drive in Ice Cream Trucks & use Megaphones Blimp with Banner Door to Door
Give Free Stuff (Door Prizes) Sky Writing
"Help us with the staffing obstacle - what would be best?"
Hire a Youth Director
Volunteers
Hire Kids
Senior High Students
College Students
Peer Helpers
•
Beatin' yourself up 'cuz there's nothin' to do?
I `'A
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Ik,
Check us out!
_c M
��-,
%%wirer - Lions Park
It's
TJ4E Place to be !
You said you wanted a place to hang out and we listened.
We'll provide staff Monday - Friday from 4
- 9pm. The shelter will be open and we u,
are working to make it into a lounge area. Yo have a blast.
We'll be spending time each day planning .
the Special Events that will occur every Grades 5-9 AFL •
other Friday, as well as Community
Service Projects.
Staff and activities provided by the City of Elk River and Community Recreation
For more information or any questions, please call Community Recreation at 241-3523
Beach Part Blowout!
Friday, June 2$ ivatersl1
D3 6:00-9:OOpm de
o, o
I
Good time guaranteed.
0 0
,fie Food
$°r Hot Dog, Chips, Pop
• 0) 7:4- .
--:., $.50
Volleyball �
3b4C
Lions Park Activity Center
•
Beginning June 24th, throughout the summer, Monday Thru Friday evenings from 4- 9:00pm, Lions
Community Park will open up its Shelter as a youth meeting space with a variety of opportunities for
youth ( target age range Grade 5-9 )to become a part of. Through a contribution of the Lions Club,
the trails will soon be paved along with the inside of the hockey boards and a freestyle type area
suitable for rollerblades and skateboards. Community Recreation Board and District 728 Community
Education staff representatives believe that these improvements lend themselves very well for
making this a great site for numerous other positive youth and community opportunities. The space
inside the shelter will be made more inviting attempting to provide a lounge type atmosphere. This
gathering spot will be facilitated by a Supervisor and a staff of student associates who will encourage
and work toward meeting the following:
Possible Goals / Objectives:
- organize a youth management/ planning team
provide a "youth Friendly" environment that enables positive youth opportunities and development
- involve the youth in projects that are beneficial to the community
- accommodate further development of youth opportunities and awareness to all other existing youth
opportunities
- encourage participation and a sense of community for all generations
ataff find these opportunities to be exciting and allow for involvement from the whole community.
pportunities are plentiful for all segments of the community. Some examples are:
- Business to support via monetary donation, equipment donation, or donation of a special skill.
- Individuals to support by sharing time . talent and expertise
- Organizations to partner with the youth management / planning team
Also taking place simultaneously is a plan to unite all interested parties that have a stake in
promoting positive youth development. Community Recreation Board and District 728 Community
Education staff representatives believe that the more broad-based community support for a plan to
accommodate positive youth development, the more likely any endeavor will be sustained and
successful. Community Education and Community Recreation will be hosting a community meeting
inviting all who have a stake in supporting our youth. This meeting will allow input and discussion on
concepts associated with providing youth a place "To Go &To Be". This meeting will take place on
Tuesday July 16, 1996 - 7:00 am at the Community Education Center.
Youth,
• Continued from page 1
people.
Young people will be setting
the rules, said Jeff Asphal,
director of the Community
Recreation program.
The youth will be plsnning
special events and contracting
with some local bands.
Young people will help fix up
the warming house as a
lounge with some programs,
furniture and vending
machines.
This will be a place where ,
parents can drop off their kids •.,,�,•�► `
while they go shopping, said r "~ " • .
Asphal.
Asphal hopes a business will M
donate a television set and a r,'
radio and some furniture. =t
Elk River Council Member - \ "ate
Roger Holmgren,who is presi- µ ,
dent of the Community r w fi
Recreation program, said this ' �
start could lead to a bigger # .
project so that kids would
have a place all year around. Youth wrestled last week
An after-school transports- during the "Sumo Summer
tion system is also being Kick-Off" event put on by
planned. Community Recreation.
Seed of youth
center planted
in Lions Park
Students in fifth through the
ninth grades will have a safe
and drug-free place to go
Mondays through Fridays at
the Lions Community Park
from 4 to 9 p.m.
The city of Elk River has
appropriated $4,000 to begin
what may be a youth center,
with activities planned by the
youth.
Friday the kickoff will be at
Lions Park with music, a disk
jockey and food.
Adult supervision will be
provided through the
Community Recreation pro-
gram.
Elk River Mayor Hank
Duitsman has been persistent
in finding a place for young
• Youth continued to page 15
DRAFT - Compiled in cooperation with Comm.Ed. and Comm. Rec. Staff
General outline of presentation: "A Place to Go and Be" 12 June 1996
1. History/background:
A. past efforts and experiences.
About 1984, a collaboration of youth-serving professionals calling themselves the Committee for Bare
Streets fostered a program through Community Education known as CBS. This program served
senior and junior high, in an attempt to offer social and entertainment opportunities for teens: pig
roasts, open gyms, dances and other organized events. They accumulated video games, TV's,
Nintendo sets & games, sports equipment, a big screen TV, pizza ovens, a microwave, tuner and
cassette deck, and stereo speakers. This equipment has been passed on to subsequent programs.
The program evolved into 728 YOUTH which still exists today, organizing dances, parties and
summer outings for teens and now pre-teens as well.
In 1991, Community Education organized a summer"hang-out" spot known as the YOU.
Intended for kids in grades 5-9, it offered a supervised open gym spot for basketball, video games,
puzzles, pinball, card/board games and just a spot to be with friends. It functioned only during
summer weeks, late June into August, in elementary school gyms close to the mall, and was
hampered by the need for school spaces to be cleaned and prepped for the school year, gym floors
to be stripped and sealed. It had no place to be during the school year due to heavy gym use, so
suffered from lack of continuity and ease of promotion during summer months. About the time it
became known, it closed for the year. In 1994 & 1995, it was moved for 2 weeks each summer to
Zimmerman and Rogers, with good success in both locations the first year, success at Rogers only in
411 1995. Attendance last summer, 1995, in Elk River was sparse to non-existent. Staffing did not appear
to be the cause for lack of interest, since the same staff in previous summers was valued by the kids
for their attitude and fair play, friendliness.
Program strengths have been siting the YOU in a busy residential area that seems to be
highly visible on a travel route for kids. The program itself is not highly structured allowing kids to do
their own programming nightly, setting their own agenda based on who's there. Staff has been a
definite plus, maintaining a balance between discipline without seeming authoritarian, encouraging all
kids to be a participant in some way. Shortcomings come down to lack of a means to promote to and
contact kids during the summer months of operation. The seasonal nature of the center prohibited an
establishment of a routine that had some continuity and allowed for expansion based on word-of-
mouth. It was here and then it was gone for another 9 months. Having no permanent home, location
or consistent on-going space hampered growth of a reputation and an identifiable "home" that would
be a magnet for longer than 3 months at a time.
In conclusion, there has been some history in this area for doing things for kids, including a
youth center. While we acknowledge the attractiveness of such a proposition, we have the
experience to know the obstacles and audience quirks that make such a center a challenge.
B. other supporting youth oriented efforts and research: I
Issues associated with youth and "things or a place" have been the subject of concern and
investigation recently in numerous areas. The 2001 Committee has a long history of interest in youth.
The Community Youth Task Force which came about as part of 2001 efforts has studied this issue for
nearly 3 years and has recently launched their recommendations. Superintendent David Flannery
• has asked Community Education to investigate a model program in Bumsville that specifically serves
the Junior High age. Several residents have been exploring the feasibility of a Boys and Girls Club
and there have been other groups that have been advocating for a Community Center of sorts for
youth opportunities. And Steve Davis a Junior High instructor conducted some surveys as to youth
interests as well. Taking place during this same period were the efforts of the Youth Initiatives
Committee as charged by Mayor Hank Duitsman. These efforts resulted in a 'Youth Summit" that via
a focus study with 90 Junior High students produced information to help with our planning as well.
2. Qualifier/ risks:
There are no doubt dozens if not hundreds of examples of communities in which a "youth
center' or" youth hangout"
has appeared, only to disa pp ear in a relatively atively short time. Many adults
may recall such places from their own youth experiences. To be sure, a center or hangout
will need
to be responsive to student interests and needs, and will need to evolve from week to week or month
to month. One inescapable aspect of youth is that they characteristically have a wide variety of
interests and they need to explore those interests. In some cases what was a very popular place in
the fall can become passe by the winter or spring, and this is a risk which is not lost on the writers of
this proposal. A couple of key ingredients which should help assure better longevity: 1.) a
community-wide "buy-in" to the concept--we need the support of the entire community. The center
should not be viewed as the creation of only one or two agencies or entities; it needs to belong to the
community. 2.) youth need to be very closely tied to all decision-making aspects of any proposed
center; location, goals, philosophy, activities, food choices, etc. No decision should be too large or
small to have youth involved in helping to make that decision.
3. General concepts/aspects of a successful approach:
a. collaborative project
b. community-based (not just school district or municipality)
-faith community
• -health community
-businesses
-service clubs
•
-individuals
-youth
-families
-law enforcement
-Elk River 2001
-Community Youth Task Force
-Citizen's League
-Healthy Communities Initiative
-Boy's and Girl's Club group
-CASEY group
-municipalities
-school district
-grants
c. youth involved in partnership—do it with, not for or to youth. Involve from the outset,
including goal development and steps in the process.
4. Two-step process: 1.) this summer: stopgap approach using Lion's Park
2.) longer term approach with site somewhere else that can serve as a year-
round home.
•
COMMUNITY RECREATION & ISD 728
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
PROUDLY PRESENTS
Sumo Summer Kickoff
An Elk River Youth Initiative
Join us for this action packed evening at the
Senior High on Thursday, June 20 from 7-9pm!
We will be introducing new programs that will be available this
summer.
Grades
Sumo Wrestling _
�e 5 9
c
0"1 i to) 7 'II hi;,7' .„ -, enyo ,:s.
Owe
r
n
Open Gyms°I T ,ye li ,,,,v,.„ 0 - ,
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Wei ht RO°m '�
g Electronic e Baseball &
` �• Concessions Basketball Games
A.f4 c^,,, C cessions Available
II Pizza provided at a discount by Dominos
7 Fee is $1 in advance, payable at the Community
Recreation office, or $2 at the door.
241 -3523