Nearly two dozen Dayton kids are having a very special summer. Once a week, they participate in a pilot program called "Outdoor Youth Adventures." It's the brainchild of Police Major Brian Johns, who himself had a challenging childhood.
Johns’ mother was the victim of a violent crime and was a single parent. He credits his grandfather for spending time with him and taking him fishing.
“Exercise and physical activity, outdoor things — you know, they help people deal with stress, anxiety and things like that,” he says. “So, I always thought, how can I share that?”
The youth participants, ages 9 to 17, are victims of violent crime or lost parents to crime or drugs. Johns is familiar with many of these kids because he works in violent crime.
“Sometimes you always wonder, what happens to those kids and how are they doing? So, we thought here at the police department we would try to do more to reach out to some of those kids that we’ve already dealt with who are having a tough time in life and try to get them involved in the outdoors and do something more productive,” Johns explains.
The program started at the beginning of June and runs for eight weeks. Their experiences run the gamut. Kids have done yoga, played drums, gone BMX bike riding, horseback riding, hiking and fishing. Kayaking and playing golf are coming up in the next few weeks.
He credits the city and area businesses for making Outdoor Youth Adventures a reality.
Johns understands the importance of what he’s doing.
“We just try to teach them positive outlets for stress, because you have stress, especially in today’s world," he says. "You’ll have stress for years to come. It’s how you deal with that stress.”
