Lake Charles Mayor Announces Several Youth Initiatives Coming to and Resuming in the City

Share This:

Published October 19, 2022

Lake Charles Mayor Announces Several Youth Initiatives Coming to and Resuming in the City

Lake Charles, Louisiana – On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, Mayor Nic Hunter announced many youth initiatives coming to and resuming in the City of Lake Charles.

This announcement marked the start of new projects as well as the resumption of some youth activities that had been put on pause following the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 hurricanes.

“The announcement of the return of these youth-focused initiatives is one that my administration has been looking forward to for quite some time now,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “We know that providing positive activities for our youth is a vital step in our area’s long-term recovery. We understand the critical role the City plays in providing safe, accessible and education-based programming for young men and women. We are thrilled to bring back After School Programs, Teen Connection, the Mayor’s Youth Partnership, youth camps, and other new youth initiatives.”

The Mayor’s Youth Partnership attempts to involve young people in city government. Twenty-three adolescents in grades 8-12 from nearby schools were accepted for the program, and their first meeting was held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

Teen Connection, the City’s free seminar series geared at preparing youth for life after high school, will return to Huber Park Community Center on Monday, October 24, 2022, from 5-6 p.m. The city is working with McNeese State University to give information on how students may prepare the best scholarship application possible.

Teen Connection will visit College Oaks Recreation Center on Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 5 to 6 p.m. The City of Lake Charles and McNeese State University will collaborate to provide information to aspiring collegiate athletes on how to boost their chances of being recruited to play at the next level.

The Recreation and Parks Department of the City is preparing to provide free After School Programs. City personnel and retired CPSB instructors will staff the programs. Tutoring and homework assistance will be available from the instructors. Programs will commence Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Bellard and College Oaks community centers. More places will be added. Each registered student will get a meal from Second Harvest Food Bank. Call (337) 491-1280 for additional information about enrolling in this program.

The City’s Recreation Department is launching a Christmas youth camp at Bellard Community Center and College Oaks Recreation Center from Monday, December 19, 2022, to Thursday, December 23, 2022. This camp will include special holiday guests, games, arts and crafts, and other activities. Attendance is $15 each day or $40 for the week in advance. Participants will get a meal from Second Harvest Food Bank. Call (337) 491-1280 to register or learn more.

Summer camps and other youth sports programming will be announced in the spring of 2023.