Depue Group Talks about Youth Activities

By Erin Sapp

Princeton Reporter

5/30/07

DEPUE Dan Ryan, community develop­ment specialist with Illinois COalition for Community Services, said efforts to organize youth programs for kids in DePue are coming along well.

“Everything is pulling together slowly but surely,” Ryan said. “We have a Vista worker to run, the program and have been offered a place to hold youth activities. Next is funding?’

Ryan said DePue residents have shown a lot of interest in uniting to provide more youth activities and most pcople h&s talked to think it’s a great idea.

“It’s a challenge with a small demographic area to get new people involved;’ Ryan said, adding that in small communities it’s usually the same small group of people who are involved in everything,

Ryan said his job is to come into communi­ties to essentially get the ball rolling on projects like the DePue youth program, but that in the end it all comes down to the community to keep things going.

Ryan’s organization offers no financial assis­tance in getting programs started, but rather works to unite different groups in communities to pool already existing resources and to expand resources to fill community needs.

At the next youth building group meeting, Ryan says a team of community members will be formed. One responsibility of the team will be to seeking out funding.

Summer youth activities Ryan’s organization will put on in conjunction with Bureau County’s University of Illinois Extension office are just the beginning of programming for DePue. Ryan hopes the program, which is a partnership between U of I Extension Office, First Congregational Church, Americorp/Vista, Monterey Mushrooms, St. Mary’s Catholic Chutch and Illinois Coalition for Community Services, eventually will become an after-school program.

The next youth building group meeting will be at 7 p.m. Thesday, May 29 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Hall in DePue. The public may attend.

 

Erin Sapp can be reached at (815) 879-5200 or ntprinceton@ivnet.com.