The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra is world-premiering Paths to Dignity, a violin concerto for the unhoused by composer and Grammy-award winning conductor Lucas Richman and featuring well-regarded violinist Mitchell Newman on Sunday, Feb. 19.
Many of us take for granted our ability to shower or bathe, but for the unhoused, getting clean can involve many variables and few options. SHARE Center in Battle Creek is seeking to change that by raising funds to install public showers for those who are unhoused, housing insecure, or living somewhere with no running water.
Coming out safely is not one-size fits all, as Voices of Youth Battle Creek Artist Athena McCarthy explores in her comic strip illustrations. "I wanted to bring to light the different experiences people can have when coming out," she says.
Support networks for breastfeeding parents are helping more little Michiganders get their best start in life.
The public is invited to a Feb. 26 screening of a documentary that looks at parent caregivers for children and adults who are disabled or medically complex, and their lack of support from society.
As awareness about how policing and mental health intersect grows across the state, more Michigan counties are involving community mental health agencies in law enforcement response and diverting people who are simply experiencing symptoms of mental illness from jail.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Al Jones visits Confections with Convictions to catch up with owner Dale Anderson. The local sweet shop launched in 2010 with a mission to employ youth with criminal convictions. Thirteen years later, Anderson, 70, is preparing to hand over the reins to an employee, Jennifer Fakkety, who wants to expand the shop’s employment to include those of any age who are experiencing substance use disorder and are in recovery or 12-step programs.
The second cohort of Battle Creek Voices of Youth launches today and we’re excited to publish these new stories that cover such issues as vacant buildings and their impact on a community, particularly a neighboring school; coming out safely to family and friends; and social media’s impact on body image. We will be publishing these stories throughout February. Our new Battle Creek Voices of Youth program begins in March. See the story for more details.
Abandoned buildings are an eyesore and pose safety hazards. Youth may see these buildings as an invitation to explore and at times engage in unsafe behaviors. Voices of Youth Reporter Mar'Chionna Sardin, a sophomore at Battle Creek Central High School, says "I never thought I would be writing a story about vacant buildings. You see issues with the community, but you don’t think you will ever do anything about it. When you decide to write about an issue, you find out how much deeper the story is and you learn a lot from it."
Jamie Stuck, Tribal Chairperson of the Nottowaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, will focus on improving Native American health in his new role as a member of a U.S. Health and Human Services Tribal Advisory Committee. Stuck plans to encourage practices that support a return to a pre-colonized diet and to promote trauma-informed and culturally-appropriate healthcare to help combat elevated disease rates in the Native American community that have direct ties to historical atrocities.
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