The most damaging influence to inner-city youth might not be found on the street corner, but inside of the television, according to presenters at a recent conference in Akron.

“Black children watch more TV than any other group,” said Dr. John Queener, clinical director of the Minority Behavioral Health Group and an associate professor in the Department of Counseling at The University of Akron. Add this to the belief that African-Americans are stereotyped negatively on TV, he said, and “our children are watching more negative stereotypes of themselves than any other group, and we wonder why they act crazy.”

Queener joined other high profile guest speakers, including MC Lyte, and delved into the media’s impact on urban youth and their communities for the “Pop Culture and the Media” conference at the Quaker Hilton in downtown Akron. The conference, hosted by Keepers of the Art, was part of a weekend’s worth of events, which concluded with the 4th Annual Hip-Hop Showcase at Lock 3.

If you happen upon George Coast, it’s unlikely you would know he’s homeless. Soft-spoken and collected, Coast carries himself much like a blue-collar laborer, and his conversational drawl reveals a down-to-earth sensibility. He wears a button-up, collared shirt and jeans and looks showered and clean.

Coast has been homeless for five years, and he lives alone in a tent, whose location he’s hesitant to disclose. The last time the authorities found his belongings, they ended up destroyed, he said.

Even in the winter, he said the most difficult part of living outdoors is putting on cold boots in the morning.

Recently the Civic Commons team (Dan, Mike, Jason, Daryl, Taryn, and I) and around 250 of our closest friends attended a free community engagement workshop in Akron. The Knight Foundation sponsored the event, part of its national “Soul of the Community” initiative. Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities," was the featured speaker. He led an engaging and interactive afternoon workshop centered on embracing what each person loves about Akron and encouraged participants to figure out new ways to engage with other Akronites and the city in which they live.

Civic Commons was thrilled to be part of this day, and we set up a mobile engagement studio at the event to interview attendees about what they love about Akron and what they felt they could do to make Akron better. The responses were creative and exciting, and it was obvious that these citizens are committed to Akron. Keep an eye out for a post-event video that will be created.

The first interactive event of the day encouraged everyone to think why place really does matter (regarding Akron)? How can we strengthen the bonds that make Akron a great city? And, what inspires action?

Learn more about the man behind the gorilla mask tonight, as The Amerikans series will feature "The Big G" at the Akron Art Museum Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

"The Big G," is a short film about Akronite Sim Graham and his work as the "man in the gorilla suit" on Arlington Road.  Previously released episodes of The Amerikans also will be shown at the event.

Produced by Oberlin based Arcanum Productions, The Amerikans is a series of short films profiling individuals within Northeast Ohio and beyond. The series uses fictional film techniques to create documentary style pieces intended to illuminate and elevate everyday life into high art.

The Torchbearers are encouraging Akron-area residents to “run and crawl” downtown this Saturday. The fifth annual AkRun 5K race begins at the AES (Advanced Elastomer Systems) building in downtown Akron at 5 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a pub crawl that starts at 69 Taps, before patrons head to Paolo’s, Brubaker’s Pub, Wing Warehouse and other area establishments.

The Downtown Akron Partnership Junior Board, ArtCetera and Torchbearers are collectively hosting the event, which is an example of three groups actively bringing young professionals together for social activities while supporting area businesses.

“It’s a nice way to get young people out on a Saturday night,” said Kyle Kutuchief, chair of the communications committee and board member of Torchbearers. He said the race goes along the Towpath trail and includes prizes for the first-, second- and third-place winners. The downtown businesses participating in the pub crawl will offer food and drink specials.

First Congregational Church of Akron presents its second annual Artisan Market & Craft Fair Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church is located at 292 E. Market Street in downtown Akron (at the corner of East Market and Union streets).

All artists, crafters and shoppers are encouraged to attend, to earn some holiday cash or get a head start on holiday shopping. Vendors may rent a table in the FCC Fellowship Hall for $30, and spaces are limited, according to organizers.

For more information, contact Alauna Redfern at .

Over the past week, workmen were finishing floors and moving in furniture to the new Creative Business Center at Summit Artspace in downtown Akron. With a generous capital grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Akron Area Arts Alliance (AAAA) renovated the second floor of its growing art center to establish an opportunity for affordable, collaborative offices for arts groups and businesses.

The facility also offers use of shared office equipment, kitchenette, lunch room, the historic Knight Conference Suite and an intimate venue for performances, rehearsals, arts installations, etc.

AAAA is excited to announce its first office tenant – Akron Film – has moved in to the Arts Business Center. Founded in 2002 as a student organization at The University of Akron, Akron Film began by presenting an annual film festival on campus.

Tonight and tomorrow night, the GroundWorks DanceTheater will host a free dance performance at Glendale Cemetery in Akron. Part of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, the show begins at 7:45 p.m. with a children's program, with another performance starting at 8:45 p.m.

Tonight will mark the Akron premiere of "Hindsight," a commissioned work by choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett, along with video presentation artist Adam Larsen, and set to music by Akron rocker Chrissy Hynde. GroundWorks is well known for performing in non-traditional settings and breaking the traditional barrier of performing on a stage.

Sponsored by the city of Akron, the 37-year-old Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival was established to honor the legacy of the founding artistic director of the Ohio Ballet, and continues the tradition of free public performances by respected dance companies.

Thanks to the 30-year friendship between an audiologist and a woman with a severe hearing loss, aspiring audiologists with hearing impairments of their own can benefit from a new fellowship program at The University of Akron.

The Virginia E. Wilson and Dr. Sharon A. Lesner Graduate Professional Fellowship has been established by Wilson in honor of her friend Lesner, an audiology professor at UA.

The Wilson and Lesner Fellowship is for students in the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) Program in UA’s School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Only students with a hearing impairment are eligible.

E-reader use has nearly doubled, according to library officials

The Akron-Summit County Public Library has kept stride with the digital age, as e-reader use in the system has nearly doubled over the past year.

Last year, 1,200 unique library customers used the OverDrive electronic book checkout system, said Ann Hutchison, the library’s technology director. “This year we have 2,600 unique patrons using the service,” she added. As of the end of July, holds on e-books have jumped from 2,200 to 7,500, and checkouts have almost doubled from 11,600 to 22,000, she added.

OverDrive representatives will be on hand at the main library downtown Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to show users how to check out electronic books and use e-readers. A 74-foot trailer, part of a national tour, will park on High Street and offer hands-on demonstrations throughout the day, with iPods, Nooks, Sony e-readers and Android tablets among its gadget gallery, said Hutchison. “We’re hoping that stirs up a little buzz and people come by and see what it is.”