PEORIA (August 3, 2022)) – The Peoria Park District will host a Press Conference and Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, August 10th to celebrate the newly created mural at Logan Recreation Center. The mural was completed by interns in the District’s workforce development program, which will also be highlighted.
At the event, Peoria Park District staff will celebrate 22 summer Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) High School and College Interns, including a team of Artist Apprenticeship Interns that created the large mural on the side of Logan Recreation Center.
In July of 2021, the Peoria Park District (PPD) launched a new workforce development program for Peoria-area youth. This workforce development program was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), which was advocated for by State Representative and Leader Pro Tem Jehan Gordon-Booth. Leader Gordon-Booth saw the great need in Peoria for youth to engage in meaningful work in order to improve their economic outcomes and to avoid involvement with crime and other negative behaviors. Participants were recruited primarily from Peoria Public Schools, by meeting with students in person and supporting them with applications and resume-building.
In less than a year since its inception, the workforce development program has hosted interns in positions across PPD. Internships were completed at the RiverPlex, Owens Ice Center, Lakeview Recreation Center, Bonnie W. Noble Center, Peoria Zoo, Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum, Logan Recreation Center, Proctor Recreational Center, Luthy Botanical Gardens, and in summer camps in various PPD facilities. Students represented schools across the Peoria area, including Knoxville Center for Student Success, Peoria High School, Manual High School, Richwoods High School, Peoria Notre Dame High School, Illinois Central College, Bradley University, and Illinois State University.
All told, the workforce development program has allowed these youth to earn over $50,000 in meaningful and growth-oriented part-time work at PPD.
These students have made a lasting impact on our community, perhaps none more visible than the new mural being celebrated here. Through a partnership with the Peoria Guild of Black Artists (PGOBA), the PPD hired two professional artists to mentor four art apprentice interns from Peoria high schools to paint the mural after completion of a student-ledsurvey of the community. The youth designed the mural themselves, focusing on themes of diversity, acceptance, and community.
With the renewal of state funding through ICJIA for the 2022-2023 grant year, the District looks forward to continuing to grow this program for high school and college students.
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