Read and Write Kalamazoo

Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK) exists to support the growth and learning of youth through the cultivation of reading and writing skills. Founded in 2012, we aim to celebrate and amplify youth voices through a variety of programs: summer writing camps, thematic workshops, secret book club, classroom field trips, in-school programs, as well as partnerships with many youth-serving organizations. At the heart of what we do, you will find the published work of our youth: books, zines, magazines, comics, blog posts, and more. The work we do to provide platforms for youth to experience the joy and creativity of writing is one that empowers youth to use their words and be heard. We believe the success of every student relies on an invested community, so we rely on our growing team of volunteers to provide support at all of our programs and events. Addressing equity and access in our community, RAWK offers all programs at no cost to the youth we serve.

In November of 2017 RAWK relocated into the Vine Neighborhood launching our storefront, The Geological & Musicological Survey Co., which serves as an exciting portal to our writing center and publishing hub. RAWK is committed to deepening youth leadership opportunities for our youth in 2018. Freshly formed, the Youth Advisory Council is setting big goals for the year ahead: developing, writing, and editing a magazine with a theme of social justice, a storefront window installation collaboration with local artists, and creating youth outreach/marketing opportunities for RAWK. This summer, we will grow our Youth Mentor Program that will now consist of a Youth Leadership Camp where we train high school youth to be writing coaches and mentors, and then provide them with stipends to work at our summer camps and our themed drop-in writing mornings. Youth-driven programs ensure RAWK remains an effective organization that speaks to the needs of the youth we serve.

For more information, visit www.readandwritekzoo.org.

Education  Posted by 18 May 2018

STREET Program of Community Healing Center

STREET is an afterschool program for boys ages 10 – 17, which teaches Survival skills, builds relationships based on respect and Trust, provides needed Resources, provides Education and training, and Empowers forward movement, so that They can become productive and positive role models for their peers and the community.

STREET is designed to provide boys with a safe and supportive, home-like environment during critical hours. Program operation hours are from 3:30 – 7:30 pm, transportation is provided, and pick up starts at 2:30 pm. Snacks and a full course dinner are provided Monday through Friday.

The program aims to boost academic achievement and self-esteem, and to build positive relationships within our community. STREET has had a positive impact on the boys enrolled. Through community outreach, other public awareness projects, and activities, STREET has successfully made a positive impact in the lives of over 60 underserved, amazing young men.

“I’m thankful for the STREET Program because it has taught me to deal with issues at home and in school. I used to argue with my mother, talk back to my teachers, and get in trouble at school. The program helps me with my homework and teaches me to make better decisions and improve my behavior. STREET is a great place for me to attend.” — Malik

Program focus includes academic improvement, consistency in program attendance, attending school regularly, leadership qualities, social-emotional growth, life skills development, increase in knowledge, resiliency, and mental health support services. Youth: volunteer at Roof Sit, Tips for Kids, and community cleanup projects; participate in speaking engagements; and were facilitators at Western Michigan University for Community Mental Health’s Wraparound Conference.

For more information, visit www.communityhealingcenter.org

Health and Well-Being  Posted by 18 May 2018

Black Arts and Cultural Center/Face Off Theatre Company

The Black Arts & Cultural Center’s Face Off Theatre Company is dedicated to fostering community, cross-culturally, through theatre. Face Off was founded by African-American alumnae of Western Michigan University in order to fill a void in local theater offerings representative of Kalamazoo’s diverse population. Face Off presents classic and modern pieces that explore issues within the black community. In 2016, Face Off was awarded The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo’s Epic Award for work of high artistic quality that also enhances life in the community. Face Off attracts audience members from different racial, class, and ethnic backgrounds, allowing audiences to connect across various cultural lines. Each performance is followed by a talkback, encouraging the audience to engage with the work, the actors and, most importantly, each other. The company hosts acting and writing workshops for youth and every season includes a youth show. Face Off strives to do work that is authentic and culturally relevant and is always looking for opportunities for the community to grow and learn from one another.

For more information, please visit www.faceofftheatre.com

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services / Healthy Living Campus

Proper nutrition is essential for a healthy life. Kalamazoo Valley Community College demonstrates a recognition of this connection and a commitment to health through the Bronson Healthy Living Campus and the new Culinary School. This partnership provides educational courses for both healthcare professionals and community members looking to develop their knowledge of nutrition and health.

Understanding that unhealthy eating habits can also lead to symptoms of behavioral health disorders, Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services engages with these partners in a unique and innovative collaboration. Custom curricula address the issues of community health, behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability, home and community-based supports, chronic disease management, and healthy and sustainable foods. Students learn proper food preparation
and cooking techniques, and that convenience or processed foods are not always the healthiest choices. Students themselves prepare meals and are taught food-based options that enhance health.

To receive this training or read more about the course, go to: www.kazoocmh.org or www.kvcc.edu/trainingschedule.com

Health and Well-Being  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts / The Art of Connectivity

In 2016, the KIA added an assistant curator of youth and family programs, with a goal of the organization becoming a more inclusive, education-aligned community resource. This new position is part of an effort to connect with people who are not already part of the KIA family. The public response has been gratifying, with a significant increase in attendance.

With this position, the KIA was able to add more programs that empower parents to become learning partners with kids, such as:
• Art Detectives, a collaboration with Lift Up Through Literacy, utilizes stories, interaction with exhibits, and hands-on opportunities so as to encourage young people and their families to imagine, create and innovate.
• The Back to School Block Party, a collaboration with Kalamazoo Communities in Schools, features an introduction to the KIA’s redesigned Youth Interactive Gallery, as well as related activities that encourage participants to stretch their imaginations.
• A Dia de Muertos (or Day of the Dead) Festival, a collaboration with the Hispanic American Council, celebrates the Mexican holiday with traditional food and dance, while introducing festivalgoers to the KIA, its programs, and its activities.

Parents connect with their children and, together, they connect with art, the creative process, and the KIA. The KIA connects with a variety of new community organizations. That’s the art of connectivity.

For more information, please visit www.kiarts.org

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency / Education ReConnection: Connecting Students to Education and Career Success

Education ReConnection is an initiative designed and operated by Kalamazoo RESA’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) to positively impact the graduation rates of youth in Kalamazoo County. This program works to reconnect disengaged youth to an established pathway toward secondary school completion. All nine Kalamazoo County public school districts have been critical partners in the program’s establishment, sustainability, and success.

Through YOU, each student has the support of a classroom teacher and is provided a customized learning plan to fit their learning style. These plans use innovative classroom management techniques including flexible scheduling, a year-round calendar, online educational modules, and smaller class sizes that enable more frequent one-on-one interaction. This individual relationship is critical to ensuring a student’s continued participation in school and, eventually, their success in graduating.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in Work Based Learning, a paid work experience offering students an opportunity to earn a wage and learn valuable insights as to what companies’ desire in employees. Post-secondary preparation and guidance, career exploration and placement, advanced training, and career laddering information are all embedded in the program as well, to ensure student success beyond high school.

For more information, please visit www.kresa.org/page/500

Education  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Parks Foundation of Kalamazoo County / KRVT Downtown Connector

The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT), which saw its first groundbreaking in 1998, began as a vision of the Parks Foundation of Kalamazoo County and the Kalamazoo community. KRVT currently boasts 22 miles of beautiful and safe paved trails. Kalamazoo residents have demonstrated their love of the trail, and with each year trail use increases. In 2016, the trail saw more than 260,000 users walking, bicycling, exploring nature, commuting to work, and/or utilizing the trail as part of their exercise regimen. KRVT is proving to be a popular landmark for everyone.

Recently, community interest has grown around extending the KRVT through downtown Kalamazoo, affording users a safe and enjoyable connection to the restaurants, breweries, festival sites, campuses, and shops that make downtown fun and unique. The proposed route — determined by planning and engineering teams, stakeholders, community members and partners — ensures a safe and successful connection. Construction for the KRVT Downtown Connector has already begun, and projected completion is expected in the spring of 2018.

To learn more and to receive updates on the growing trail, please visit www.parksfoundationkalamazoo.com

Human Services  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Vibrant Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority) / Fare Games

1301 Portage Street, located in Washington Square, has undergone dramatic changes over its history: a bank, drugstore, and then, finally, L.A. Insurance, which was abandoned. Kalamazoo County Land Bank has worked to uncover the former beauty — the ornate historic molding, grand ceiling, and the corner façade — of this space in the heart of the Edison neighborhood.

Investments on Portage Street are starting to make a difference, enhancing the vibrancy of this important commercial corridor, but healthy food options are still a challenge in the Edison neighborhood. Fare Games was an exciting means of introducing a competitive element in order to engage local businesspeople and residents in identifying a new tenant for 1301 Portage. Each budding food entrepreneur was asked to develop a business plan for this space, then competed for incentives, such as pro-bono legal services and restaurant supplies, to launch their business. Supporting and enriching the cultural, social and economic life of Greater Kalamazoo.
The winner of the competition, Pho on the Block, will celebrate their grand opening in May 2017. Their plan promises an exciting new modern Vietnamese dining concept with locally sourced produce. This restaurant will serve as an anchor for Washington Square, encouraging people from Kalamazoo and beyond to connect with one another.

For more information, please visit www.kalamazoolandbank.org or www.faregames.org

Community Development  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine / Early Introduction to Health Careers II

Early Introduction to Health Careers II is the WMU Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine’s first-ever pipeline program. The goal of the program is to develop an interest in biomedical science and health careers among underrepresented and disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors from the Kalamazoo Public School district. The program is designed to improve science content comprehension and acquisition of problem solving and critical thinking skills, and enhance student success in higher education attainment.

In the 2015–16 school year, approximately 25 KPS students participated in a monthly Saturday Science Academy at the School of Medicine. Participants heard presentations from, and connected with, Kalamazoo area healthcare professionals representing a wide array of careers and specialties. Students and their parents received coaching on study skills, financial preparation for college, and the finer details of utilizing their Kalamazoo Promise scholarship.

In the summer, the medical school partnered with Kalamazoo College to provide the high school students with an intensive summer camp experience. Students spent one week gaining laboratory and research experience in the anatomy lab at K-College, and another at the medical school with med-student mentors. At the medical school, students developed clinical skills such as taking heart rate and blood pressure, and conducted research to develop and present case study posters on the final day of camp.

The program is now in its second year and has expanded to eight Saturday sessions and increased enrollment to now serve 52 sophomores from the Kalamazoo Public School District.

For more information, please visit www.med.wmich.edu/news-and-events/news/pipeline-program-exposes-high-school-students-health-careers

Health and Well-Being  Posted by 27 Jun 2017

WGVU Public Media/Kalamazoo Lively Arts

WGVU’s Kalamazoo Lively Arts series connects artists with the community through the creation and sharing of stories about the many artists and art forms helping to define Kalamazoo. In 2016, through 13 weekly programs, Kalamazoo Lively Arts shared the stories of more than 50 artists and groups, representing a wide variety of visual art, performance, and many other forms of expression. This series is designed to give the public a deeper look, striking a balance between entertainment and educational value.

To provide multiple viewing opportunities, expand the reach of the series, and give the featured artists and arts groups maximum exposure, WGVU broadcasts each weekly episode several times throughout its 28-county-wide coverage area, home to approximately 2.5 million people. This series is also shared via social media and uploaded to a dedicated WGVU Kalamazoo Lively Arts webpage at: www.wgvu.org/kalamazoo-lively-arts.

Arts, Culture & Humanities / Human Services  Posted by 27 Jun 2017