By Linda A. Moore

Originally appeared in the September 10, 2005 edition of the Commercial Appeal

About 100 young people swarmed the Bridges facility on a recent Friday evening testing their mental and physical skills with exercises intended to foster team building, confidence and critical thinking.

They climbed a rock wall, gauging what needed to be done to maintain balance.
They passed a Hula-Hoop between them, testing their dexterity and their ability to remember names.

They figured out a way to transport an entire team across a room with one pair of "magic shoes," imaginary footwear worn by one team member who had to carry his comrades without dropping them.

They leaned on their partners while navigating hand-in-hand two V-shaped balance beams and learned about trust.

They were loud. They were boisterous. They were anything but bored.

The kids were participating in the Future Builders School Year Jamboree, an event held to give them a sample of what the next semester could offer.

Bridges, a youth training organization, plans to expand its summer Future Builders program into the school year.

The program begins Monday with a goal of accommodating 250 middle and high school students with weekly activities. Those include test preparation, tutoring and specialized instruction in a variety of disciplines such as filmmaking, dance, culinary arts, adventure (fishing, hiking, camping), creative writing and theater.

The program will run weekdays 3:30-5:30 p.m., with some activities on Saturdays.

The maximum cost is $800 for the semester although there is a sliding scale to reduce fees based on family size and income. Scholarships are also available. Photos by Matthew Craig Tijuanna Fulton (left) gets instructions from Bridge Builders Program Coordinator Kacie Kelso in a team-building exercise at an event for Future Buiilders, a new year-round program at Bridges, with after-school components for fun, education.

For more information on the Future Builders program, contact Bridges at 260-3788 or 260-3794.

"We're looking to focus on a diverse population of sixth- and 11th-graders," said Chirelle Jefferson, program director.

She's labeled the program "a place where kids can discover their greatness."

The program has no academic requirements and isn't necessarily for at-risk youth or young people who are at the top of their game and highly involved in school activities.

"Think about the young people who have not found their niche," Jefferson said. "Here, those children who did not make it in the school production or are not part of anything in school can come and find their niche, their passion."

A teen summit later in the semester will address topics such as sexuality, health and fitness, communications skills and financial planning.

"The teens will hear from adults who are specialists in their fields, but they'll also be able to state what they feel and their voices will be heard," she said.

Jefferson is also planning community action projects that will take the young people out into the neighborhood for service work.

Ashley Humphrey, 13, an eighth-grader at Craigmont Middle School participated in the summer program. She's hoping to return in the fall.

"I liked the fact that we did plenty of thinking games," Ashley said. "It really gets my brain going."

Ashley's mother, Lizzie Humphrey is hoping she'll be able to let Ashley continue to take part in either the weekday or Saturday program.

"I enjoy the idea of the diversity and what they learn as far as leadership skills," Lizzie Humphrey said.

Ashley is very much a joiner, her mother said, but is more likely to work in the background.

"We want her to work in the foreground," Humphrey said.

Zach Herndon of Raleigh heard so much about the summer program from a cousin that he wanted to experience it for himself.

"She said it was really fun. I thought I'd just come out here and have fun and meet new people and learn how they can help you with your future," said Zach, 15, a sophomore at Bolton High School.

Bridges has wanted to offer a school year Future Builders program for years, said Lisa Moore Willis, vice president for programs. "We just didn't have the facilities for it."

Last year, Bridges opened a 55,000-square-feet, $9.5 million facility at 477 N. Fifth St. at Auction to accommodate its expanded programs.

The youth organization traces its roots to a 1922 outreach ministry for "wayward and delinquent women and girls over sixteen who found themselves in difficulty," according to the official Web site at bridgesusa.org.

Over the years the program evolved and became known as Youth Service. A Bridge Builders program was incorporated in 1988 and still exists.

Youth Service became Bridges in 1996 as a way to better reflect the agency's work.


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