Authorizing the Mayor to submit to the Community Services Administration, an application for Summer Youth Recreation Funds

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2. SUMMER FUN PROGRAM (ACTION /YOUTH SERVICES BUREAU) ACTION, Inc. and the Youth Services Bureau will sponsor a comprehensive program of recreational and cultural enrichment, for low - income dis- advantaged youth, ages 8 -13. The program will take place at city parks and at ACTION's Neighborhood Centers. The Summer Fun Program is an attempt to use recreation as a therapy mode to produce positive results when working with young people. The program will operate for eight weeks in the summer, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., five days a week. Traditional activities such as kickball, softball and swimming are used in the program. In addition, a variety of "new games" will be introduced to participants. New games is a philosophy of play based on cooperative, rather than competitive, activities. These are games in which no one loses. The idea of cooperation is somewhat foreign to many youth. Games are designed to foster that concept, as well as to help young people.learn to work effectively in groups. The programs will be centered at three of ACTION's neighborhood centers: Northeast Neighborhood Center, Southeast Center and LaSalle- Fillmore Center. Each center is located in close proximity to a neighborhood park, where outdoor recreational activities will take place. The centers will be used for rainy day activities. Recruitment for the program will be done by neighborhood center staffs, thus assuring that program participants will be economically disadvant- aged youngsters. Forty (40) to fifty (50) participants are anticipated at each of the three sites. Consequently, there will be approximately 150 direct beneficiaries. An extensive program of field trips will be provided. Most of the trips will be within the South Bend area: to local business places, museums, roller skating, and other places of local interest. Additionally, three trips to out -of -town destinations are planned: Brookfield Zoo, Warren Dunes State Park, and Fernwood Nature Preserve. Aside from the 150 primary beneficiaries noted above, these field trips will involve approximately 100 secondary beneficiaries. These beneficiaries are economically disadvantaged youngsters who will participate in non -CSA funded Summer Fun activities at Memorial and Kennedy Parks. The Summer Fun Program will be concluded with all program participants gathering at Potawatomi Park for a New Games tournament and farewell cookout.