Program gives youths a chance by ‘living in purpose’
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In a building off of Olive Road, work is being done every day to change kids’ lives.
For some, they might just see a building. For kids, it’s a place they can go to after school and turn any pain they might have in life into purpose.
“It’s so powerful to see how their lives begin to transform when they’re eating healthy meals every day when we’re providing them with tutoring every day, when we are putting them in production programs where they can learn how to market, and learn how to plant their own food in our planning for purpose gardening program, and then learn how to cook the food in our culinary arts program,” said Executive Director with Living in Purpose Yannik McKie.
Living in Purpose is an after-school program for kids, keeping them off of the streets and continuing to explore their ions after school.
“Music, marketing, planning with purpose, our gardening program, a free after-school program that provides tutoring, free healthy meals every single day that we’re open,” he said.
Living in Purpose looks to give kids opportunities at a time when kids nationally are falling through the cracks.
One in seven kids nationally are at risk of not finding long-term opportunity.
Locally, Augusta is the sixth lowest city in the nation on the Child Opportunity Index.
The index combines a city’s schools, access to food, clean air, parks, and living wages for adults, according to a study done by Diversity Data Kids and Brandeis University.
“A lot of our youth come from vulnerable situations where they may not have great relationships with their parents. Their parents may be absent from their home. They’ve been raised by their grandmother who has three, four, or five other children in the home. They don’t always have the food that they need to be healthy. It’s a difficult situation that these kids are struggling through,” said McKie.
McKie wants to change these numbers around.
“We can get Augusta out of the bottom of that Child Opportunity Index by simply providing them with purpose,” he said.
Living in Purpose looks to show kids a pathway to be successful in their own lives.
“It is our job to give them a positive option so that they at least have the choice because you cannot be what you cannot see,” said McKie. “Provide them a positive gang, provide them a positive choice. So that they see I can actually be successful and do it the right way.”
McKie says kids without direction turn to violence.
“Those same young men that are shooting and killing each other, the same young women that are making these bad relationship choices- these are the same people that we see breaking into our car and our home. Those are the same young people we could have sacrificed to help,” he said. “If we do not do our part in helping these young children in pain, find purpose, their pain will begin to seep into our lives. Their pain becomes our pain.”
It’s a pain impacting everyone. McKie wants everyone to lend a helping hand no matter where they live in the community.
“I challenge everyone to come out of their gated communities. See what’s going on in our inner city and be willing to make the sacrifice to see change,” he said.
Living in Purpose is seeking volunteers. Visit their website for more information. To volunteer, click HERE.
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