![]() ![]() loves about the camp - the sense of community it offers. That’s exactly what New Haven’s 12-year-old Brandon Ridley Jr. “The more we can engage kids doing any activity, the less likely they are to be alienated,” she said. ![]() Hall added that children become more at risk when they feel alienated from society and the mainstream. “We’re talking about getting the kids back out of the house and getting more socialization where they’re playing with each other and everything, not just virtually on games and Zooms,” Jahad said. “That’s a part of the reason we incorporated the mindfulness piece into this, because we see that kids are hurting right now,” Hall said.ĬTVIP Executive Director Leonard Jahad said when a child is exposed to violence or a traumatic event, “things can turn pretty quickly,” so CTVIP wants to build relationships with them in case they need assistance from trusting adults but don’t know where to go. In Hamden, the high school faced closures and lockdowns over gun violence threats in October and December and a stabbing incident in November. ![]() A year prior, Tyishoun Matheney, 27, and Kevin Mills, 33, died in separate shootings just two days apart. On May 9, 15-year-old Hamden High School student Elijah Gomez was fatally shot near the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. In the past year, there were several homicides happening near the Hamden-New Haven line, which police have indicated were targeted incidents. It’s a time when they need engagement the most, she said. Hall said children have suffered mentally and academically from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as increasingly prominent violent threats in school and nearby. “I see growth in everyone in many ways, and this is just the beginning,” said the 31-year-old coach who also heads local mental health nonprofits iHeal Inc. Shanilya Bush - also known as Coach Nilly - leads the effort in introducing the mental health aspects to campers, hoping youths can turn them into a positive lifestyle. The two organizers expressed gratitude for the organizations involved: Hamden’s and New Haven’s youth services departments, the Hamden Park and Recreation Department, Hamden Public Works, Hamden Police Department, Circular Avenue Fire Station and Whitsons School Nutrition.Ī big part of the camp focuses on mindfulness. “So learning that that’s a vehicle that keeps the kids off of the street, we wanted to do that during the summer, as well,” Atterberry-Jones said. Melissa Atterberry-Jones, CEO of The Village, which normally runs an open gym, said basketball is something the students play during the school year, thus a great way to attract them. Now, what used to be only Hall and a group of kids playing basketball has become a fully staffed sport camp, with professional coaches and a social worker, through support from local governments. The way she thinks about it is that “all kids are at risk,” she said. Hall said the incident motivated her to do more to engage with as many kids as possible and stay in their lives for as long as she can. ![]() Semaj Reddick-Streater, an 18-year-old new father, was killed in a drive-by shooting May 20, 2021. Last year, Hall lost one of her mentees to a homicide that left the Hamden community shaken she had met him nine years go through her basketball youth group at Mill Rock Park, the same park where this year’s camp is being held. Its programs include recording studios and a community garden, among other initiatives. “The kids from that basketball program, I still talk to today.”ĬTVIP is a community-based group working to “disrupt, prevent and stop the spread of violence” among people aged 13-24, with two offices in New Haven and Hamden, according to its website. “I’ve met a ton of kids in the community, and one of the main ways that I did that was by having a little basketball program about eight years ago,” Hall said. One of the people behind it all is Mary Hall, CTVIP’s program coordinator, who has been working to help youngsters for more than 10 years. The program, funded by New Haven and Hamden, aims to get to know youths in the community early in their lives. “They teach me moves that I didn’t really know before,” Damontez said, noting his favorite moment was when he made a half-court shot - twice. ![]()
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