City of Seattle Mike McGinn, Mayor

Rainier Beach Community Center launches summer program at South Shore K-8

While Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool are closed for construction of new facilities, the youth Late Night Program has found a home at South Shore K-8 School on weekends, and the partnership is now expanding to weekdays. Beginning June 26, the Center and Seattle Parks’ Youth Violence Prevention Program will open the school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. for informal and formal recreation programs and services. 

Parks and Seattle School District staff agree it is important for our community of youth in Rainier Beach to be engaged in active social activities over the summer.

Jeron A. Gates, Seattle Parks and Recreation Sr. Program Coordinator/Youth Violence Prevention, said,” Our efforts are focused on providing a dedicated safe haven for Rainier Beach community youth this summer.” Parks Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams agrees. “We have a mandate as community stewards to provide access and opportunities to our youth and families throughout Seattle. This facility will not operate as a traditional community center, so our efforts will evolve around a community partnership model.”  

The programming will include boxing conditioning, hip hop dance, fashion design and more.  Other partnerships and activities will be added as Parks develops relationships and takes a compassionate listening approach to community youth on programs and services they want to see.

Parks and Recreation, in partnership with Rainier Beach Neighborhood Association, Community and Parents for Public Schools, and Washington Reading Corps will also offer a week-long Summer Enrichment Academy beginning July 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the Academy, students will participate in traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities and extra-curricular activities such as urban farming, arts and crafts, sports, health and fitness, field trips, etc., and experience innovative summer activities that will promote learning through neighborhood exploration in safe, fun and nurturing environments.

The Academy focuses on 45 students who will represent these Southeast Cluster elementary schools: Martin Luther King, Jr., Emerson, South Shore K-8, and Dunlap. The primary focus will be on students entering 2nd and 3rd grade in the 2012-2013 academic year, and on efforts to ensure they maintain learning retention and receive academic support that will help them succeed in the new school year.

For more information on Rainier Beach Summer Programs, please call Jeron A. Gates at 206-255-4051 or email him at Jeron.gates@seattle.gov.

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