Mayor Todd Gloria launched the “Come Play Outside” summer program Thursday, inviting more than 15,000 kids to participate in a “summer for all of us” initiative.
The city and county, the San Diego Parks Foundation and other foundations are funding outdoor adventures, aquatic activities, movies in the park, arts, and STEM and STEAM programs for ages 17 and under. (STEM refers to science, technology and engineering; STEAM includes arts.)
Summer programs were organized to support and engage youth as the community emerges from a pandemic, Gloria said at a press conference at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
The initiative will focus on underserved communities including southeastern San Diego, City Heights and San Ysidro.
The County of San Diego provided $750,000 in funding from its Behavioral Health Department to support the program. County Chair Nathan Fletcher helped secure the donation. The county expects to serve more than 15,000 children this summer.
“To have a spirit of collaboration and cooperation between our city and county government is going to address so many different issues that we face,” Fletcher said about the importance of engaging youth and helping them to play.
Fletcher also emphasized the importance of San Diegans getting vaccinated. He said as a parent he knows how difficult it has been for children to manage the pandemic but he encouraged people to protect themselves.
JoAnn Fields, interim chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation advisory group, said these programs are for “all of us,” and “communities of color are included.”
Sandy Mueller, senior director of Behavioral Health Services at Rady Children’s Hospital, spoke about the importance of children being active as the number of youth with mental health disorders rises. She said children isolated during the pandemic experienced a loss of social skills and an increase in mental health challenges.
Fletcher added that coming out of the pandemic is not just about economic recovery, it is also about the physical and mental recovery of children.
“One thing about the pandemic is it really taught us where the need really is,” Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe said.
Michel Anderson, chair of the San Diego Parks Foundation, said his one message to families is to “get outside.” In partnership with the mayor and county, he said they are concentrating on communities of concern. The foundation wants families to enjoy the parks, beaches and many programs San Diego has to offer.
Twenty-one recreation and aquatic centers will be used for summer programming. Parents can register their children online with programs ranging from $10 to $100. Spots are available until the end of August.
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