Youth Program Grants Awarded

The Youth Advisory Council of the Keweenaw Community Foundation has awarded $33,650 to 12 local organizations. The money comes from the Youth Endowment Fund, and will support projects that benefit youth in grades 6-12 in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.

 The 12 grant recipients are:

•  Simple Kindness for Youth, to assist in funding their student needs grants for the upcoming year;
•  Calumet High School’s La Fiesta del Chili, to fund the purchase of a new refrigerator for their foreign language and culinary arts programs;
•  The BHK Meraki Youth Art Festival, to assist in funding workshops and supplies for the event, which will engage youth in both the planning and attending of the arts program;
•  The Rabbit Island Foundation, to assist in funding the supplies and materials needed for an intensive week-long arts and ecology program in July of 2019, and series of student presentations and exhibitions at the Portage Lake District Library in the Fall of 2019;
•  The Calumet High School Art program, to fund the purchase of tickets to the Art Institute of Chicago for a trip that will be attended by all Calumet Art students;
•  The MTU Center for Pre-College Outreach Day of STEM, to assist in funding necessary expenses for the event, which will expand local students’ career interests into areas of STEM;
•  The Calumet Theater’s Movie Magic series, to assist in funding movie showing costs and other expenses;
•  The Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative’s Celebrating Lake Superior event, to assist in funding a program informing local high schoolers of the environmental concerns surrounding Lake Superior and methods of conservation;
•  The South Range community garden, to assist in construction and gardening material costs. The garden will be implemented in classes and programs at all South Range schools;
•  Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, to assist in funding for giving a class from Houghton Middle School the experience of interacting with and getting to know elderly friends through fun activities and service work;
•  The MTU Center for Science and Environmental Outreach’s STEM career tours, to assist in funding project-related expenses. This program’s goal is to educate local students on the importance of STEM-related careers by having them tour Tech’s facilities, participate in activities, view presentations, and interact with faculty and graduate students;
•  Houghton High School’s Nutrition for Life program, to assist in funding the expenses of bringing in professional bodybuilder and nutrition expert John Hansen to the area to present to all local students and community members on the importance of eating healthy and keeping your body in good shape.

 Projects will take place between now and May, 2020.

The Youth Needs Survey conducted in 2014 collected responses from students in grades 7–12 at local area schools. The survey found that depression, drug abuse, and harassment represent the greatest challenges to local youth. The survey also asked teens which programs they would be most interested in, with after-school activities, gaining job skills, leadership building, and health programs mentioned most. The survey results are posted here.