The 2024 Youth Summer Program hosted by LAUNCH wrapped up as a huge success on August 15th . This year our staff of four worked with fourteen students, ages 12 – 18. Our staff this year are New York State teachers certified in general education and special education. The Youth Summer Program is for OPWDD determined students who are not eligible for their own school’s extended school year (summer school). It ran from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm, Monday – Thursday for six weeks in July and August. The students could attend for a three-week session or the entire six weeks. Registration opens in the spring and can be found on the LAUNCH website.
The focus of LAUNCH’s Youth Summer Program is helping kids make social connections with their peers, increase their self-awareness about their own feelings, engage in fun and creative activities and interact within the community to build confidence and gain knowledge.
LAUNCH’s Youth Summer Program is anchored in the Second Step Social Emotional curriculum where the students learn skills and knowledge so they can thrive at school and in life. Some of the topics we focus on are: mindsets and goals; developing a positive sense of self; thoughts, emotions and decisions as well as managing relationships and social conflict. Next summer, we’ll be adding an entire unit on recognizing bullying and harassment.
An essential element of the Youth Summer Program is the community connections. Once a week, students went on a field trip to learn more about the community, the opportunities it offers and the people that make up our community. Some of the field trips we took this summer were to: WCNY, TCG Player, The MOST, the Syracuse Fire Department, and Syracuse Salt Company. We were also able to extend our reach into the community by having guests visit us. We had visitors from: CENTRO, Beaver Lake Nature Center, Visions Federal Credit Union, Sydney Federal Credit Union, Jeff the Magic Man and Officer Jackson from the Syracuse Police Department.
The LAUNCH Youth Summer Program is a great way for students to stay socially active and engaged throughout the summer so that the transition back to school is less stressful. The students return to school after having made new friends, community connections and learning new skills that empower them.
If you’d like to learn more about the program, please contact Michelle Horton, Director of Education at 315-557-0303 or mhorton@launchcny.org.