Downtown Academy hosts day to explore nonprofits & arts in Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Downtown Academy, a new partnership between Western Kentucky University and Downtown BGKY, officially held its second day, where 24 students explored the different nonprofits and arts culture in Bowling Green.
“We have 24 WKU students that are a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, from 15 different fields of study, all the academic colleges… and our goal is to better connect them to Downtown and the community. These kids are really active on campus, and The Hill has all kinds of great things to offer,” Downtown Development Coordinator Telia Butler says.
The team got to make different stops throughout the day, starting at SOKY Center where they learned about the different nonprofits in the community. That was followed by a trip to the Capitol and a local art studio, then a Q&A panel at Donna’s with musicians and artists in the community.
“We noticed coming in and developing this program that there’s the WKU bubble and the downtown Bowling Green bubble… and so we wanted to burst these bubbles and bring these two people together. We found that easiest to do by bringing in this group of students and making them affiliated and feel like they’re a part of the culture that makes up downtown Bowling Green. It’s very important too for that nature because this is not only community and civic engagement and getting them involved in these different aspects of downtown, but the other important aspect of this program is leadership training, where we’re giving them the hard and soft skills, to make up what they need going into their professional careers,” Downtown Development Intern Caden Lucas says.
As a lifelong resident of Bowling Green, Butler hopes an opportunity like this is not only beneficial for the students, but also helps bring a new life to Downtown.
“We didn’t have the Ballpark or SKYPac or Circus Square or a lot of these other events and opportunities when I was growing up and being able to share these new things with the next generation is very fulfilling, and it’s very important to showcase all the great things that are coming and happening in our downtown that people may not know about. So really we ask everyone to give downtown a chance and come back down if you haven’t visited us for a while, and that’s what the Academy is all about… just introducing the students to more of downtown and more of our community, and hoping they’ll start their next chapter here when they graduate,” she says.
While as a student himself, Lucas sees this as a chance to find a new home for many of these ambassadors.
“I think it’s super critical that students are able to see themselves as a part of the Bowling Green community, not just for the four years they’re here for university, but specifically to see themselves maybe as being able to plant roots in our community… getting them in the doors, getting them affiliated with who’s doing what and helping them to see how they can contribute and what they can bring to the table for downtown Bowling Green,” he says.
The program has already scheduled a civics day in January, where they will visit City Hall and meet the mayor and city commissioners.
