Providing summer youth activities
Abstract
The New Horizon Community Development Corporation in Dallas County, Arkansas responded to the lack of youth activities in their community by providing an out-of-school program during summer break.Issue
Too few productive activities during summer break can lead youth to mischief.Action
- The "Summer Sizzlers" program is provided four days a week, five-and-a-half hours a day, for youth ages 5-17. Reading and math instruction are given during the morning sessions. The afternoons consist of developing skills in conflict resolution, physical education, team building, and arts and crafts.
- Children are grouped according to grade level, allowing for age- and development-appropriate skills to be addressed. Tutoring during the summer program serves to reinforce the skills they learned in the previous academic year. The children remain in the same group throughout the summer unless the group leader feels the child has advanced to the next grade level.
- Each day begins with opening ceremonies that emphasize character education. The character education curriculum complements that used by the local school district. Program staff introduce words related to character education, give definitions, use the words in a sentence, and then have the children engage in role-playing that relates to the terms.
- Included with the opening ceremonies is a daily energizer, which is led by the different groups of children throughout the summer.
- Lunch is served each day. A typical menu includes cold cut sandwiches, chips, fruit, punch, and a snack cake or cookie. Hot meals, such as spaghetti, vegetables, bread, and punch, are served twice during the week. Meals are prepared in an on-site kitchen by volunteers and staff.
- New Horizon owns a school bus and a 15-passenger van, which are used to transport children between the three sites. Extra buses are rented for field trips with a large attendance. Field trips are scheduled for the Arts & Science Museum, the AR Department of Corrections, Chuck E. Cheese, Wild River Country, swimming, and picnics in the park.
- A fun day is held at the end of the summer program that includes face painting, sports, water balloon tosses, trivia contests, board games, and other recreational activities.
Context
Two hundred children attended the Summer Sizzlers program in the summer of 2001. The New Horizon Community Development Corporation, a division of New Horizon Church and Ministries, Inc, administers the program.
Summer Sizzlers programs are located in three townships — Carthage, Fordyce, and Sparkman — throughout rural Dallas County, Arkansas. In Fordyce, the program is held in buildings owned by the New Horizon Church & Ministries, Inc. The program in Carthage uses a former health clinic building. The Sparkman Community Building is the site of the third location.
Six full-time AmeriCorps*VISTA members, 20 AmeriCorps*VISTA summer associates, and four Delta Service Corps members assisted with program implementation and operations. The AmeriCorps*VISTA members also recruited local community volunteers.
Donations are solicited from local businesses, churches, and individuals. The WalMart Foundation and another local foundation also provided grants to assist with program costs. As a result, children attend the summer program free of charge.