Philadelphia City Council leaders working to provide safe, accessible activities for youth this summer
Inside 1 of the 6 resource centers in Philly providing safe activities for children this summer
Inside 1 of the 6 resource centers in Philly providing safe activities for children this summer
Just weeks after a deadly shooting at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia City Council is working to provide safe and accessible activities for children this summer.
A lot is happening under one roof at 4704 Leiper Street in Philadelphia's Frankford neighborhood.
Inside, there are gaming rooms, a basketball gym, a cosmetology room for hair and makeup lessons, a podcast studio and even a kitchen serving hot meals.
The building is a community evening resource center run by Unique Dreams Inc., and it's open every day to neighborhood kids, giving them a safe place to be and things to do.
Bryce Natson, 15, is one of the many who find joy hanging out here every day.
"I mostly would be staying home, honestly, just be staying home, being on my phone, but coming here is having fun and doing stuff that you always wanted to do," Natson said.
With summer break starting Friday, city leaders are encouraging youth to spend their time at one of six centers across Philadelphia.
"Doing nothing is not an option; you must do something this summer to occupy your time," Katherine Gilmore Richardson, a majority leader in Philadelphia City Council, said.
The centers offer more than just fun. They include conflict resolution programs and support curfew enforcement, all aimed at keeping kids safe and reducing gun violence, especially during the summer when, statistically, shootings tend to increase.
"Anyone under the age of 13 must be home by 9:30 p.m. Anyone between the ages of 14 and 17 must be home by 10 p.m," Richardson said.
Last summer, more than 1,000 kids were picked up after curfew. Police can drop them off at these centers until their families arrive.
Parents said this has become like a second home for their kids. Many say that without the resource center, they don't know how they'd keep their children off the streets and out of trouble.
"I love these people like they're family. They take care of my kids. This is a second home, I trust them," one parent said.
The resource centers keep young people focused and away from negative influences.
"We recognize what needs to be done and we do it," Mr. K, with Unique Dreams, Inc., said.
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