PHAT Summer nourishes youths

by Josh Kimball

    Nineteen park, school and community center sites on June 18 kicked off the eighth annual PHAT Summer, an expanded slate of community programs and activities offered free to Minneapolis’ 12- to 18-year-old youth.
    Organized by a coalition of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation system, the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, the Minneapolis Public Schools and the Mayor’s office, this year’s PHAT Summer programs include cooking, dancing, ceramics, arts and crafts, and drama and theater classes. An assortment of field trips is scheduled, including fishing, roller-skating and swimming. Additional classes and field trips will also be offered.
    The programs’ days and times vary by site, but are usually planned for weekday evenings between 7 and 10:30. The expanded PHAT Summer hours are scheduled for from one to five days per week for each of the participating sites.
    “Youth in the community look forward to this program every summer because they know that they have places that could provide them with structured activities, a safe environment and staff that is there to work with them,“ said PHAT Summer coordinator Rosario Escanan.
    First implemented by Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton in June 1994, PHAT Summer has been generally well regarded by community members, Escanan said. Planning for the increased menu of activities begins in February, and parks and community centers often hire additional staff to handle the extended hours and greater numbers of participants.
    Instructors with more specific skills are also lined up to teach specialized programs such as martial arts and golf. The more exotic offerings can help keep older youth interested in coming back to the parks.
    “PHAT Summer is a great program because it’s for the older kids and it’s a free program. The kids love it, especially the recreation centers being open later. And it helps keep them off the streets, giving them a positive release,” said Larry Umphrey, recreation coordinator at Longfellow Community Center. Umphrey cites basketball and other gym activities the Longfellow center hosts as being among the most popular.
    Regular police visits to the sites also help to ensure a positive atmosphere, and to enforce curfew for younger kids. The PHAT Summer sites’ greater accessibility and structured activities give the entire program good standing in the community.
    “Response from older community members is also very positive,” Escanan said. “They’ve told us they are glad to know that a program like this is available for our youth and they are glad to see them in the gyms, schools and in the parks, actively involved in positive activities rather than hanging out on the streets,” he said.
    Flyers and brochures available at PHAT Summer sites create awareness of the programs. And Umphrey urges community members to call or visit their parks and community centers for more information or to make suggestions for future PHAT Summer activities.
    In past PHAT Summers, the number of youth participating has run into the thousands, backing up the claims that the program has had a positive impact on the Minneapolis community.
    “If they had their way, they’d have PHAT Summer year-round,” Escanan says of Minneapolis youth.
    Now they need only persuade Mother Nature.