Los Angeles Division of Recreation and Parks helps youngsters not solely this summer time, but in addition 12 months spherical, to go additional in life whereas exploring town and succeeding of their research. Our Spot is a year-round, after faculty program that gives free assist with homework and different actions for youth and teenagers ages 12-18 years previous.
This system is out there at a number of parks throughout Los Angeles metropolis, open Monday via Friday, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. The parks embrace East Rancho Dominguez Park in Compton, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park in Los Angeles, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Park in Los Angeles.
Roosevelt Everlasting Leisure Service Chief Anthony Zamora describes the varied actions that Roosevelt Park offers for the Our Spot program.
“We have now completely different workshops, completely different sources that’s accessible to them.We additionally provide homework assist. We take them out to completely different discipline journeys and supply completely different experiences that they, you understand, most likely wouldn’t have elsewhere,” he defined.
With the Our Spot program, Roosevelt Park additionally assists college students by permitting them to make use of computer systems which many might not have at residence.
“We have now a pc lab that’s open for them. So, we have now quite a lot of groups that are available day by day and recreation with one another, or use it for homework assist or no matter they want for, truthfully,” famous Zamora.
A few of the different Our Spot actions at varied parks additionally embrace podcasting workshops, mindfulness and meditation workout routines and even Hip-Hop Dance workshops.
With Roosevelt Park, the group even takes the youth on discipline journeys across the metropolis and even locations corresponding to Raging Waters.
“We even have quite a lot of Hollywood Bowl discipline journeys that come up up to now,” Zamora stated. “In addition they have gone to Six Flags, the [Los Angeles] Zoo, Common Studios and stuff like that. We have been additionally invited to the Virginia Robinson backyard.”
Roosevelt Park’s Our Spot program additionally helps with younger girls on the lookout for a solution to construct their vanity. “We have now our women empowerment convention,” he stated.
To fight the warmth, the Roosevelt Park workers additionally has pool film nights as properly.
“They only had a film night time with the Aquatics, the pool. So, they obtained to look at, I imagine it was Captain America whereas night time swimming,” stated Zamora, who added that the youth are pleased to have this program and these alternatives to make a change not solely locally however for his or her lives, noting, “They’re truly fairly excited,”
The Our Spot workers additionally turns into shoulders for a lot of youth to lean upon and ask for assist when instances merely are onerous at residence. Not solely does this system give a special perspective to many youngsters’ lives however, in addition they make sure that they aren’t in famine moreover.
“We have now had quite a lot of regulars that are available day by day, week after week for a few years. So our workers, we construct relationships with them as properly,” he stated. “We began our supper program to verify no child goes to mattress hungry.”
Our Spot goals to easily assist youth keep out of hassle, make lifelong friendships and to help youngsters and teenagers to get forward in life with their Youth At Work program.
“We encourage them to use with the county and thru the youth at Work program,” Zamora defined. Via a 3rd social gathering, Roosevelt’s Our Spot program may also help present employment alternatives for some youth.
It’s free to attend this system and signup is just not required for the after faculty Our Spot program below sure situations.
“We encourage signing up, nonetheless, it’s not required to come back in,” Zamora stated. “However, in the event that they need to go on discipline journeys and apply for the Youth At Work, then that’s required for them to use. It’s going to be on reservations.lacounty.gov.”
Our Spot is open year-round and accepts all teenagers and youth trying to be part of. For extra info, go to: parks.lacounty.gov/ourspot/.
