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Each year, the participants in the Leadership Marion program, run by the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce, develop a project to address a need in the community by coordinating with community organizations and partners. 2022 was no exception. A group of 91���� Marion faculty and staff are helping their community counterparts lead the way in this important initiative.

The project that was ultimately selected by the group is to partner with Marion City Schools, the YMCA, and several other community organizations to develop programming during after school hours and on the weekends at the Withrow Equity Center (the “WEC”) for the youth of Marion in the downtown area. This project was proposed and is being led by 91���� Marion Coordinator of Recreation and Environmental Programming, Erin Slater, who was part of a group that raised this issue as a pressing need in the community before the pandemic sidelined the effort.

This year there were 35 participants in the program, including three from 91���� at Marion: Coordinator of Recreation and Environmental Programming/Student Life, Erin Slater; Manager of Mental Health & Wellness Services, Leslie Beary; and Assistant Dean and Professor of Mathematics, John Maharry.

According to Maharry, the effort to provide weekend and after school programming for Marion area youth all began by asking youth what they wanted to see from the Marion community in terms of after school activities, support, and services.

“Recently, we surveyed more than 300 youth in Marion City Schools to learn more about their needs. We found a strong desire for a safe space to ‘hang out’, play sports, do crafts, listen to music,” said Maharry.

“Many students expressed that there was little to do over the summer or in evenings outside of school hours. Transportation to the YMCA was also an issue for many kids in the neighborhoods around downtown,” Maharry added.

He said, “this survey is informing the need for such a center and the variety of programs and activities that might be offered.”

“We are currently reaching out to youth in the community to organize a ‘youth board’ for the center to help decide on what activities and services should be offered,” Slater explained.

“Based on our survey,” she said, “we have begun reaching out to a variety of organizations to provide volunteer services to the center that were mentioned by the kids, sports and games, arts and crafts, mentoring opportunities, tutoring services, support for LGBTQ students, music, snacks and meals, and many other options.”

Slater shared that the group offered free meals this summer through Marion City Schools Summer Food Program to anyone under the age of 18 as well as access to the gym for recreation time.

With a soft summer opening, preliminary planning meetings, and research completed, Slater hopes this will lead to more community involvement and a bigger launch of the project once school is back in session in August.

“We are hoping to have a ‘grand opening’ celebration at the WEC around the start of school in August,” she said. “At this point, we need help from the community in several ways. First, would be to help to spread the word to families and youth in the area about the after-hours center. Second, we will be looking for volunteers.”

“There will be a coordinator of the center,” Maharry added, “but we will need helpers to run the games, monitor the crafts, be a smiling face for the kids. We are also looking for organizations that could offer programming.”

Slater said, “our goal is that the WEC becomes a vibrant, active, welcoming location for the youth around downtown Marion to enjoy, relax, learn, play, and grow as part of the Marion community.”

“We are currently working on funding to help kickstart programming as well as to support a needed coordinator. Volunteers are welcomed as well to interact with the youth and build relationships. In addition, we will soon be forming a steering committee for this project,” she said.

“By creating more safer places of belonging, opportunities, and mentorships,” said Slater, “we hope to see a reduction in the school to prison pipeline, teenage births and an increase in Marion County’s healthy behaviors.”

“This proposal is to encourage an exploration of ways that community partners can improve meeting our evolving youth’s needs by collaborating our efforts and resources,” said Slater. “This initiative is not to take away from the several influential organizations currently serving our community, it is a hope to make an even greater impact by ensuring any resident has access to free or low-cost recreation and learning opportunities.”

“Youth and family serving organizations that would like to put on programming or provide resources for the youth center, this is just an example, but something like our local YMCA holds open gym nights on Tuesday and Thursday evenings,” Slater shared.

“A big finding from the youth survey we have completed,” added Slater, “is they are interested in arts in crafts. So, we would like to find organizations that are willing to host events out of the center.”

Projects like this are the ways we continue to build relationships in our community as a university and we start planting those seeds with young people and parents to show them we are here, and we want to help them be successful in whatever paths they choose.”

“I believe this experience has helped me better understand and get connected to the Marion community,” said Maharry.

Slater sees the potential short term and long-term positive impacts of the Leadership Marion project and feels good about her involvement.

“Down the road if we can start to see improvement in Marion County’s health behaviors," said Slater, “that would be a major win. Short term, it is organizing different entities to meet youth where they are and start to see the Withrow Equity Center become a go-to place for our young people.”

If you want to learn more about the Withrow Equity Center or how to help, follow the Facebook page at .