Illinois State University leads the Illinois Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) and encourages its region leaders to leverage local resources and partnerships to support the well-being of minoritized children and their families.
Within the PEP’s Central Region, Pastor Martin Johnson of the Peoria action team is hosting programs and initiatives that do just that.
Robo-Rams Robotic program
Located in the heart of Illinois at the Nannie M. Johnson Community Center, the Manual Academy Robo-Rams recruit students from all over the Peoria and Dunlap Public School District. In recent year’s programs, they have welcomed several home-schooled students to the team.
The Manual Robo-Rams was started by Coach Hosea Washington in 2013. Meeting three times a week, the teams collaborated on robot design, programming, and planning for a multitude of outreach and training events. Some training event topics included: FIRST LEGO League, CAD Onshape Software, and rookie teams trainings in advance of the Peoria First Tech Challenge (FTC) Division.
The Robo-Rams have been a breeding ground for National FTC Dean’s List Awardees. In the past three years, the Robo-Rams have had three consecutive awardees for the National FTC Dean’s List: Team 8648 Kirsten Polk in 2023, Team 9788 Jewel Moore in 2022, and Team 8648 Aja Capel in 2021. All three Dean’s List awardees are currently in engineering programs at Yale University, Rice University, and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.
In the upcoming year, the Manual Robo-Rams are hoping to purchase a $30,000 Fanuc Mechatronics Certification Cart along with training for two coaches
with the Fanuc curriculum. This certification will encourage student growth and opportunities in the robotics industry and educational sector.
The Explosive Gems Majorettes
The Explosive Gems is a majorette dance team within the Nannie M. Johnson Community Center that consists of approximately 50 dancers including boys and girls ranging in age from 5-18 years old from numerous schools, churches, and neighborhoods throughout Peoria. The team has been in existence since June of 2016. The Director and head coach is Diane Hines, who is also an elementary school teacher in Peoria’s school district.
The youth within the dance team program are taught different dance moves ranging from: lyrical, hip-hop, parade style, and big field show style majorette dance. The dancers also learn gymnastic stunts such as round-off flips, back hand springs, aerial flips, and back walkovers. The Explosive Gems have have won numerous dance competitions across the country and have performed at many local and regional events across Central Illinois. The Explosive Gems Dance Group’s primary mission is to uplift, encourage, and promote young people as they embark and pursue an interest in the world of dance.
Learn more about initiatives in Peoria County that support the well-being of youth and families by attending Peoria’s next Permanency Enhancement Action Team meeting.
