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Savannah outlines expanded "100 Days of Summer" programs, new registration system and youth job push
Summary
City officials at a Savannah City Council workshop detailed the 100 Days of Summer initiative—6including camp dates, age ranges, costs and a new Civic Rec registration system—6and stressed partnerships, outreach and steps to keep youth engaged and safe this summer.
Savannah city officials on a recent workshop described a wide-ranging "100 Days of Summer" initiative that combines summer camps, sports leagues, workforce training and neighborhood outreach aimed at keeping young people engaged and safe while school is out.
City Manager (title used in the meeting) opened the presentation by saying the city had assembled a full slate of activities and asked departments to summarize programs so council could review dates and logistics. Fire, police, cultural resources, human services, the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONE's), recreation and communications each presented program plans and outreach strategies.
The Fire Department highlighted two open houses (Station 4, April 25, 11 a.m. —6 2 p.m.; a late-summer back-to-school event at Station 16) and Camp Hero, a three-day program for young men scheduled for June with applications running May 1—630. The chief said the department is rebuilding its training center and will continue explorer programming, including an explorer graduation set for May 20 at the department training center.
The Police Department presented summer enforcement and engagement plans and program growth for the Police Athletic and Activities League (PALS). The chief said the department remains "committed to working with anyone who wants to come to the table and work with us" and outlined a summer camp that will host about 40 youth, expanded girls' flag football and a Beyond the Badge police camp scheduled for July 13—624. The presentation included department summer-month statistics showing declines in several categories compared with prior years.
Cultural Resources, Human Services and ONE's office described arts, civic and workforce pathways. Carrie Reed, senior director for human services, outlined "Civic Explorers" (June 8—6July 17) at Moses Jackson Advancement Center and the Pennsylvania Avenue Resource Center and the Savannah Youth Ambassadors summer intensive (June 12—625 for rising ninth- through 12th-graders). Reed gave program pricing as "$30 per week for Savannah residents and $50 per week for nonresidents" and said financial assistance is available for qualifying families.
The ONE's office described Path Forward, an eight-week, $15/hour workforce development intensive with a 10-month follow-up for high-risk 17—19-year-olds; Neighborhood Improvement Teams (NIT), an eight-week $12/hour employment program for ages 14—18 running June 1—6July 24 (applications were noted as open and closing May 1); and Young Artists of Savannah United, a theater-based violence-prevention program with a July 25 premiere.
Recreation & Leisure officials emphasized a new Civic Rec online registration system that will centralize program listings, allow online payments and serve as a parent-facing dashboard for program vacancies and sign-ups. Staff said pools will open for the season (Memorial Day through Labor Day), that swim safety and new activities such as "flick and float" are planned, and that teen-focused offerings (including an e-gaming camp in partnership with Savannah State University) were added to close gaps for older youth.
Communications staff said Civic Rec will function as the central dashboard and described a promotional plan including social media, SGTV coverage and a graphics package to be shared with council for local outreach.
Officials also described a refreshed Summer 500 youth-employment partnership with the county, school district and chamber, aiming to place hundreds of young people in paid, supervised summer jobs at a $15 hourly minimum; training and a soft-skills launch were scheduled prior to placements.
Council members asked about transportation to offsite activities, age ranges and site accessibility. Staff acknowledged spotty Wi-Fi and facility limits in some locations and said the city will provide program vans where needed, continue partnership talks with the school board and circulate full schedules and registration details to council. Departments said they will prioritize residents for city-funded programs while allowing nonresidents to register if capacity allows.
Next steps: staff will circulate detailed flyers and registration links (Civic Rec), finalize pool and camp staffing pending inspections and launch the communications push ahead of the Memorial Day program kickoff.
