Town of Huntington, NY - News Details
8/3/2015 - Summer Youth Connection Keeps Huntington Teens Busy
Huntington Station – More than 200 teenagers are enjoying active evenings by taking part in Summer Youth Connection, a five-evening-a-week program the Town of Huntington is presenting with Suffolk County in collaboration with a variety of corporate and not-for-profit partners and volunteers.
The free program, which is held at Walt Whitman High School from 5 to 9 p.m., is open to all but is aimed specifically to provide educational and recreational activity for youth in Huntington Station free of charge. Activities range from basketball and golf to creative writing and photography and robotics.
Summer Youth Connection is the brainchild of Councilwoman Tracey A. Edwards, who modeled it after a similar program Suffolk County ran last summer in Brentwood. Councilwoman Edwards enlisted Suffolk County as a partner, and lined up the many sponsors, including: the South Huntington School District; the Huntington Opportunity Resource Center Leadership Council; the Suffolk County Police Department; the Huntington Manor Fire Department; the Huntington Community First Aid Squad; the Huntington Ecumenical Ministers Alliance; Tri-CYA; REACH-CYA; David W Parker Lodge #72 and Chapter 64, Order of the Eastern Star; and the Huntington branch of the NAACP.
Corporate sponsors include the Park Shore Science Camp Academy, which brought its robotics program; Integrity Golf, which provided sets of golf clubs; and Canon U.S.A., which donated cameras for the photography class. 
“It is important to keep our young people engaged, challenged and active during the period when school is not in session.” Councilwoman Edwards said. “I thank all of our partners, sponsors and volunteers for helping us provide educational and recreational opportunities for them and channel their energy in positive ways.”
“You need to look no further than the faces of the children to see how successful this program is,” Supervisor Frank Petrone said. “They are having a great time, and so are the volunteers who are helping to run the activities. I commend Councilwoman Edwards and Suffolk County for bringing the Summer Youth Connection to Huntington.”
“Suffolk County is pleased to collaborate with the Town of Huntington and partner organizations to ensure that youth in Huntington, regardless of financial ability, have access to quality recreational and motivational activities during the summer months,” said County Executive Steve Bellone. “I am thankful to all of the collaborating organizations for stepping up to the plate and providing an outlet for our youth. We know that idle time for youth can lead to them engaging in activities that are not productive and could potentially be detrimental to their overall development. The hours of programming offered by the Suffolk County Summer Youth Connection to help fill that gap and provide positive recreational activities.”
Supervisor Petrone, Councilwoman Edwards, Councilwoman Susan A. Berland and Legis. Dr. William Spencer, representing Suffolk County, spoke with the youth July 22, thanked all of the sponsors and toured some of the activities.
The program runs from July 13 to August 21. The sessions run from 5-7 p.m. for middle school students and from 7-9 p.m. for high school students, Tuesday through Friday. On Monday, the program is tailored to special needs students.
In the photo: Supervisor Frank P. Petrone, Councilwomen Tracey A. Edwards and Susan A. Berland, and County Legis. Dr. William Spencer with the sponsors and some of the volunteers for Summer Youth Connection.