Highlighting America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People
Columbus, Georgia
By Christopher Epps
Columbus, Georgia, situated at the end of the navigable portion of the Chattahoochee River, is named after the infamous navigator Christopher Columbus. Called “The Fountain City” for the many fountains installed here in the early 20th century, Columbus was home to Coca-Cola developer Dr. John Pemberton. Located in Muscogee County, Columbus experienced significant revitalization and urban renewal nearly 20 years ago. The vast improvements brought diverse residents and businesses to the area and consequently called for incorporating attitudes and cultural differences into an inclusive plan for its children.
Fortunately for Columbus’ children, the city’s administration recognized the benefit of uniform services and possible opportunities, and consolidated the city and county. Since consolidation, this union has seen many positive results. Partnerships within the faith-based community have provided much needed outreach to homeless families and thanks to a Parks and Recreation grant, mentoring and tutoring services for middle school students are provided. Each elementary school has a business partner from the community who aids in underwriting programs, projects and learning objectives while Academic Success Centers are provided for potential high-risk dropout students in grades 9-12 not experiencing success in the regular school program or are one or more grade levels behind.
Columbus/Muscogee County is a very promising community with a lot to offer its youth. A few programs that led to its selections as one of 100 Best Communities for Young People are:
CCGTV Access Channel: Columbus’ local government channel gives its youth a voice. The station provides a talk show featuring youth-related issues and topics of interest each month for 1.5 hours. Each topic is broken down by middle or high school with the target audience of all youth in the community.
Valley Interfaith Promise: An interdenominational program providing families housing, job assistance, food and social time within assigned churches for a period of one week per church. The churches have transformed areas within the church into a home-like setting, complete with all amenities including play areas and toys.
Youth Advisory Council: This allows youth to become involved in local and state government, providing an opportunity to voice opinions and assist in the decision-making process. The council has promoted public campaigns on school violence and bullying, under age drinking, peer pressure, teen pregnancy and other issues pertaining to youth.
With a strong emphasis on education, Columbus/Muscogee County’s tutoring service encourages children to make wise decisions and value education as early as elementary school. Student Support Team, a school-based, solution-focused team, is there to help by supporting the learning and behavioral needs of regular education students. One aspect of this community’s education curriculum teaches that service to others builds character, leadership and perspective. Opportunities to Help Others is key and explains why each high school senior fulfils a minimum of 150 hours of service prior to graduation.