BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, May 12, 2022) —Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott joined Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises, local officials, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners to announce the launch of the B’More Summer Information Hub, which can be found at: www.bmorechildren.com/bmoresummer.
The Hub, centralizes and catalogs thousands of summer programs, events and opportunities for young people and their families, ranging from camps at Baltimore City Recreation and Parks and Enoch Pratt free Library to camps run by nonprofit providers, to more than 22,000 summer learning slots at Baltimore City Schools.
“Our young people deserve access to safe, affordable, and engaging opportunities during the summer months,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “From starting their first job and learning new life skills through programs like Youthworks to building new friendships at one of the thousands of summer camps in the City, summer is a time of exploration, growth, and new and exciting adventures for Baltimore’s young people. It is also a challenging time for many of our youth and families struggling with food insecurity and lack of opportunity. We are connecting young people and families to incredible summer opportunities and expanding efforts like Summer SNAP to provide meals to thousands of young people.”
This summer, the city and key strategic partners will provide:
- Nearly 3,000 summer camp slots managed by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks;
- More than 6,500 summer jobs for youth ages 14-21 through Youthworks;
- Baltimore City Schools will offer more than two dozen district-wide summer program options, including two virtual programs;
- 53 Baltimore City Schools will be hosting summer programs with more than 22,000 seats available;
- 9,110 slots, funded through a $5.3M investment by the Summer Funding Collaborative to support 93 high quality summer programs for children and youth living in low-income families throughout the city, including a $2M investment by the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund in programs for older youth, 14-21 years of age;
- The B&O Railroad Museum is hosting 2 free camps that include aftercare; The Reading on the Rails Camp will serve 60 children for two weeks for children in grades 1-6 and a sensory friendly camp to serve 15 neurodiverse children for one week for grades 1-6;
- Expansion of the city’s summer SNAP program to provide meals to thousands of young people.
“BCYF is honored to make an investment in older youth who are often overlooked and lack access to out-of-school time enrichment,” said Alysia Lee, President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund. “These young people are close to or in the beginning phases of adult-hood and they need to know they still have the support of their city and its institutions.”
In addition to the launch of the B’More Summer Information Hub, the Mayor announced the kick-off of B’More Lit, a new summer event series launched in partnership with DTLR. The series will start on May 28th and will feature a DJ, live performances by local artists, free food, vendors and more for teens. The B’More Lit series will be held in locations throughout the city.
The Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success and Baltimore’s Promise led a summer steering committee that included key partners like, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the Summer Funding Collaborative, the Department of Social Services and others. The group compiled data on available summer opportunities and centralized the data for families to access through the B’More Summer Information Hub. The steering committee analyzed the data and determined the need for additional summer slots and activities for older youth and expansion of neighborhood-based opportunities.
“Prioritizing Youth” is a cornerstone of the Scott Administration’s action plan and larger strategy for a safer, accountable, and more equitable Baltimore. This collective effort ensures that quality, engaging educational and recreational summer programming is accessible to all children and families in Baltimore City.
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