LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's a conversation every year: how do we keep kids busy and out of trouble over the summer?
"I see it all the time," northwest Las Vegas local Lydia Healy told me, on a morning walk with her dog at Children's Memorial Park. "I've seen stuff, even at the park, where kids are just unruly — throwing eggs at cars, stuff like that."
Situations like that are exactly why Clark County and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are teaming up to offer free late-night activities for teens at four different sites this summer, including in the northwest valley at the Torrey Pines Resource Community Center near, Cheyenne Avenue and Torrey Pines Drive.
Find out more about Clark County's late-night summer programs for teens:
"There are a lot of kids right now that are looking for something to do — as you've seen, there has been an uptick with [teen] takeovers," Clark County Parks and Recreation administrator Alex Bernal told me in a Tuesday interview.
Bernal tells me programs like this have been around since the early 1990s, but this is the first time they've brought it to the northwest valley, basing their decision on data and trends surrounding youth violence and crime from local police and the county Department of Juvenile Justice Services.
"It's important for us to make sure that we take care of this northwest area and let families know we're here for them," Bernal said. "We saw this as an area that probably needed something to do to get kids more involved, and [we found] that's through recreation and any programming that we have to offer."
So, on Friday nights from 8 to 11 p.m., they'll have basketball, boxing, DJ classes, mentorship programs and more, all based on feedback from local teens and families, and all in one place the Torrey Pines Resource Community Center.
Other locations offering late-night programs for teens include:
- Walnut Community Center near Walnut Road and Cheyenne Avenue, on Tuesdays
- Whitney Recreation Center near Tropicana Avenue and Boulder Highway, on Wednesdays
- Cambridge Recreation Center near Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, on Thursdays.
"If we can see that data shows, in this area of town, we're seeing a decrease in youth violence, then we can show that [this program] works," Bernal said.
The program kicked off last week and runs through the end of July, and Bernal tells me he's already gotten great feedback from families.
"For them to find out there are programs that are free and in their area of town, they're very appreciative," Bernal said. "They're like, 'how can I help?' By bringing your child here."
Northwest locals tell me they're on board with the idea, too.
"I think that would help to get them off the street and give them something to do, especially during the summer when school is out," Lydia Healy told me.
For more information on Clark County and Metro Police's "Late Nights" program you can call 702-455-7177, or you can see the flyer on Metro's social media pages here.
