These are a few views of the children in the Youth Program participating in various programs and field trips. The program emphasized educational experiences relating to three phases of our local heritage, including the Victorian Age, the Colonial Period, and the Age of Dinosaurs.
In 1993 a “Needs Assessment” was undertaken as part of the HOPE 1 housing planning activity, and it developed that one of the pressing needs was youth activity in the Summer. Parents were concerned about the safety of the local Magazine Park and were not letting youngsters out to play.
Led by Cathedral Hill Resident Olivia (Tillie) Sanders, the McKnight Homeowners Association formed a Summer Youth Committee and created a Summer Program that served several hundred children between the ages of 5 and 12, from 1994 through 1998 with a six-week Heritage Education Program based on local history. This included not only the Victorian Period, but also the Colonial period, and the Early Jurassic Period recorded for posterity in the many dinosaur footprints discovered locally by scientists. These activities were combined with field trips and recreation.
Efforts are now underway, headed by SYP Alum Ebony Mutcherson, to revive the program by young people who participated years ago and build a “Youth Center” and sports facility on Westminster Street. Those interested in helping should contact the McKnight Office by email at mcknighthistorc@mac.com.