Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with the non-profit Royal Oak Initiative to support the organization’s Summer Youth Engagement Series (SYES).
Founded in Columbus in 2013, the Royal Oak Initiative (ROI) is an innovative chess-based social change agency that uses the wisdom of chess to protect, heal and build community by cultivating collective wellness, mindfulness, and critical thinking. Since then, ROI has partnered with more than 30 local schools, libraries, community centers, businesses, and governmental agencies to provide quality, culturally responsive, trauma informed programming to an estimated 700 youth and adults. This school year, ROI has operated regular programming in seven schools, three libraries and has led youth to chess tournaments, and hosts a biweekly community open chess session every other Sunday. Last summer ROI brought chess components to the Ubuntu Summer Program as well as offered a full week of programming for Columbus' World Chess Week Celebration. As the event organizer for Columbus' celebrations that week, ROI brought the first international chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley to speak and play 20 youth in a simultaneous competition. ROI aims to promote and or create an active chess culture in all CCS schools, community centers, and libraries in Central Ohio.
The goal of the SYES is to transform the self-perception of 400 Columbus youth utilizing an experiential learning model and exciting, culturally relevant, trauma-informed environments which equip youth with chess, literacy, project planning and execution, Chess Maker, and conflict resolution skills. Programming will include the following:
Pop-Up Chess Stations: (100 engaged, 8-18YO and family members) Chess pop-ups are a series youth led and adult supported public chess stations complete with tables, boards, and cultural arts installed at or near major gatherings of youth and community members such as festivals, community center...
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