Summer Saved

Kids will get to go to camp this summer in New Haven. And teens will get summer jobs.

That message was revealed Monday afternoon at the latest mayoral press conference conducted via Zoom.

Elicker administration officials announced that they have planned a scaled-down version of annual summer camps and youth job programs, tailored to protect public safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid has not held us down. It is not stopping us,” declared Gwendolyn Busch of the newly merged youth and parks and rec department.

Her office has enlisted more than 50 nonprofits and grassroots agencies to hire teens through the Youth@Work program. ​“Well over 400” applications have already come in. The students will earn $11 an hour working up to 30 hours a week for four weeks, from July 13-Aug.7. City government is included in the mix: Positions are open in the corporation counsel, IT, and Livable City Initiative departments.

Meanwhile, summer camps will run during the same July 13-Aug. 7 period. The popular ​“eco-adventure” camp will take place at Barnard Nature Center, Trowbridge Environmental Center, and West Rock Nature Center for older kids. No field trips this year, and no canoeing. But there’ll be cycling, kayaking, nature exploration, and other activities conducive to social distancing, said director Martin Torresquintero (pictured).

For kids 5 to 15 years old, the city will run different camps at 19 different locations. No before or after camp sessions this year. Hopscotch and jump rope are still very much on the agenda. Contact sports? Not this summer.

Parks deputy Bill Dixon said the staff threw down to make sure there’d be some form of camp available. ​“These boys and girls [have] been locked down since March,” he said. ​“We’ll do everything we can to keep our kids safe.”

For details on youth summer programs call 203 – 946-8027, 203 – 946-8020 , or 203 – 946-7582.

Other highlights from the presser:

• To date the city has 2657 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 110 fatalities.

• Unlike in some other communities, the city has not seen a spike from either the mass protests that began May 31 or from the gradual business reopenings, said Health Director Maritza Bond. ​“We are seeing a downtward trend. We’re not seeing a spike,” she reported. She credited people’s use of masks and social distancing. Bond, whose staff distributed masks and hand sanitizer at a recent 5,000-person march, reiterated her support for the protests.

• Mayor Justin Elicker said ​“many” intersections throughout town have walk signals operating automatically during the pandemic so people don’t have to press the buttons.