FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021, it was promoted as an “Emergency Legislative Package to Fund Vaccinations, Provide Immediate, Direct Relief to Families Bearing the Brunt of the COVID-19 Crisis, and Support Struggling Communities.”

But a recent expenditure of ARPA money by the city of Flint shows just how far from that original mission municipalities have strayed in spending the federal aid. All ARPA money must be spent by 2026.

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The City of Flint wants to spend $50,000 on Youth Arts: Unlocked, which promotes the art exhibits of “court-involved youth” in detention at the Genesee County Juvenile Justice Center and youth on probation at the Learning Co-Op.

The city described the programs like this: “In the theatre workshops, teaching artists use structured improvisational games and story lines to create a safe space in which the youth can learn new ways to express themselves verbally and through body language. Girls programming consists of weekly HERSTORY: UNLOCKED workshops which enable girls and LGBTQIA youth to find their own voices, become the tellers of their own stories, and take ownership of their futures through the mediums of dance, spoken word poetry and yoga.”

It goes on to say, “In the dance workshops, students learn movements in the styles of a diverse group of women dancers and then apply what was learned by collectively creating a dance that tells their own stories. Engaging in dance builds confidence, strength and emotional resilience. A similar approach is taken in the Spoken Word workshops where the youth explore various avenues of verbal expression through the introduction of women authors. Both their girls and boys yoga programs use a trauma informed curriculum for at-risk youth,” the city stated.

That ARPA money was previously earmarked for “revenue replacement”, which means salaries for city of Flint employees.