Because it had no grants, no money, not even a glimmer of a budget, the summer recreation program of the Skinker-De Baliviere area was slow in getting started. Indeed it wouldn’t have got going at all without the inspired persistence of a determined volunteer, Mrs. Jane Davis of 5825 Pershing.
Considering her total lack of financing, Mrs. Davis and her co-workers have put together a program with an astonishing number of facets.
First, her team has taken over the space formerly occupied by the Treehouse at 6008 Kingsbury.
This space is now known as the Krib Youth Center the “Krib” being the current word for “home.” In it Mrs. Davis has been training 19 young people, ages 15 to 19, to be Play Leaders, that is, people who know how to plan a summer recreational program, how to understand small children and teach them skills, and how to evaluate and make suggestions for the improvement of their own work.
They have now finished their training period and are available to work on any block in our area Mondays through Thursdays. If the children on your block could use a Play Leader, call Mrs. Davis at 862-5122, and one of these trained young people will come to help keep the children constructively busy and happy right in their own block.
For youngsters who can come to the Krib a wide variety of learning programs is available, chief among them being arts and crafts, cooking and sewing, weaving, charm and grooming, modern dance, drug information, black studies, beginning karate, beginning skating, drama, and classes in leadership.
In addition, the Play Leaders are prepared to help any organized group planning an outing or field trip for children and to supervise the use of community facilities such as the library and Hamilton School playground. In short, these trained young people are a real community resource.
Within a few days after they finished their training 48 area children had been involved in one or another of the programs and more are coming in every day.
The second part of the summer program is the Drug Information Center under the direction of Miss Shirley Rowell.
Around 65 children in three groups — 5 through 8, 9 through 13, and 14 through 18 — have already been involved in the program, which uses films, seminars, discussion groups, and field trips to bring first hand information to participants.
The 14-18 year-olds meet at the Krib Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m.; the youngest group come in on Tuesdays from 1 to 2:30; and the middle group from 10:30 to 12 on Thursdays. Friday is open house day.
On field trips to Archway House and other drug abuse agencies, the youngsters have had a chance to meet and talk with ex-addicts and in this way find out first-hand what are the real dangers of drugs.
Also looking toward the fall, the Skinker-De Baliviere Council is trying to get a grant that will enable it to hire a staff member to continue and coordinate the wonderful array of recreational programs put together by Mrs. Davis and her fellow volunteers.
These 19 young people are in the federal Neighborhood Youth Corps program and are paid $1.60 per hour for the work they do.
Original photograph caption
In front of the Krib, neighborhood children practice for a talent show as part of the play leader program this summer. On the back row are Debra Coleman, Brenda Creswell, Tawana White, Renese Jones, (front row) Willmore Jones, Myron Jones, Kim Johnson, Corene Creswell and leader Robin Edwards.
Originally published in The Paper, August 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_08.pdf, printed page 1, 7.
