Community groups offer structure to kids of all ages this summer
CSRA - With summer RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONs AND CITY LEADERS ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO GET KIDS INVOLVED IN PROGRAMS.
WHILE SUMMER IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH FUN AND RELAXATION, IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE BIGGEST TIMES FOR CRIMES TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF STRUCTURE.
The hOURS ARE LONGER and the HEAT RISES. COMBINE that WITH LACK OF SUPERVISION AND ANOTHER PIECe, PEER GROUPs.
“If you don’t have the right friends and the right peer group, summertime is very dangerous because what happens is when you have a peer group and a friend group that has more time to spend with you and more influence over you socially. It can lead to activities that end up having to have the law involved,” JARED WILLIAMS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY of the AUGUSTA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT says.
WILLIAMS SAYS IT’S CHEAPER TO EDUCATE, THAN INCARCERATE, SO START AT AN EARLY AGE.
“I can’t tell you how many times we have kids that come into our programs having a hard time, they’re angry, they just don’t know why," Tanesha Sharp, District Vice President of the South Augusta YMCA says. "We really work that social emotional curriculum all year long and mid-year, we have our staff saying, you guys have really turned it around. This students has really been able to communicate how they feel now. They’re really able to say, I need to take a break now, I need to walk away and do that respectfully.“
THE FAMILY YMCA OF GREATER AUGUSTA OFFERS PROGRAMS TO KIDS OF ALL AGES TO OCCUPY THEIR OUT OF SCHOOL TIME. THERE’S EVEN SOMETHING FOR TEENS AGES 13 TO 15, THROUGH THE LEADERS IN TRAINING SUMMER PROGRAM, WHICH TEACHES, JOB SKILLS, LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND OFFERS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
SHARP SAYS PLANNED ACTIVITIES LIKE THIS ARE KEY TO KEEPING THAT NEEDED STRUCTURE. “There’s so much you learn from being around your peers, vs. being at home by yourself and that’s what the 'Y' wants to prevent," she says. "We don’t want kids staying at home by themselves or you know staying with their younger siblings. We understand that’s sometimes necessary. But, when you come to the 'Y,' we have something for every age and that’s something we are very happy about that we can provide.”
WILLIAMS ALSO ADVISES you to know WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE AT ALL TIMES. “I hope that parents recognize that what you permit is what you promote and so, the activities that you permit your child to go into because you’re not watching them and not inspecting them," he says. "You’re promoting their ability to do it and if you’re not going to exercise that influence over them. Their friends, their peers, contacts on the internet will fill in the gaps that you leave.”
DO YOUR RESEARCH, THERE ARE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, CHURCHES AND COMMUNITY CENTERS WITH SUMMER OFFERINGS. FIND THE RIGHT FIT. THE MORE INTERESTED KIDS ARE, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO FOLLOW THE RULES.
Copyright 2024 WFXG. All rights reserved.
