Summer makes every body of water seem enticing. The hot weather and blazing sun do little to encourage outdoor activities other than poolside drinks and dunks in pools, but summer outdoor activities do not have to be limited to simple binaries. In fact, there exists a realm of possibilities for people to explore, but for children and youths especially. With the availability of multiple summer programs catered to youths to get them off their phones and socializing, there is no shortage of places to explore or things to do. To add to this list, the City of Detroit, Michigan is requesting qualifications from Faith and Community-Based and Youth Development Organizations to provide structured, supervised outdoor enrichment opportunities for Detroit youth during the summer months of June through August, five days a week for eight consecutive weeks.
These programs could contain anything from hiking to fishing to ziplining, and are filled with other activities in between. Other than the variety of activities available, many may have themes that youths and children may be interested in, such as "superhero week" or "mythical creatures week", all in attempts to get youths to engage with the activity more or simply because it is fun. However, themed activities are only as fun as the people attending them, which brings us to the real reason these programs are so great; they introduce kids to other kids. Yes, many kids would be reluctant to go to these programs, especially if they know no one there, but there exists an infinite amount of stories of children before them saying the same exact thing only to come out with a new best friend. Because of the nature of some of these activities, children are pretty much forced to communicate and sometimes work together, especially if an escape room is involved. These situations can form bonds that can't really be done in school or sports, and the novelty of new experiences together can make speed new friendships along.
Summer programs are great for adults too. They free up space during the day to grab a drink with a loved one or go on your own individual adventures without having to worry about the kids. During the workdays, the summer programs function similar to school or daycare, except much more hands on and exciting. Adults would not have to worry about their children since those at these programs would be properly taken care of under the watchful eyes of supervisors and activity coordinators. Summer is a time where everyone should be able to relax a little bit, and this goes for adults too. If interested in this opportunity, click on the link to learn more. The bid closes April 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM EDT.