On July 13, Mayor Eric Garcetti kicked off Summer Night Lights (SNL), a program that keeps parks and recreation centers open late to provide young people and families with safe, fun gathering spaces during the summer months, helping to reduce crime and violence in the peak months of gang-related activity.
“Every young Angeleno deserves a place in their community where they feel safe to spend quality time with their friends and loved ones,” said Garcetti. “I am excited that this program will resume in person once again — providing our kids with activities, resources and most importantly connections to one another.”
SNL is a signature initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development (GRYD) — offering free food and activities at 43 City parks, and connecting young people and families with job opportunities and other resources. The program is made possible through the partnerships with the LAPD, LAFD, GRYD Foundation, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Mayor’s Fund for L.A.
“Summer Night Lights is one of Los Angeles’ most important and effective educational, recreational, public safety and community building initiatives,” said Deidre Lind, president/CEO of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.
The SNL program is offering sports clinics through a partnership with the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks at select locations. For the Summer Night Lights sports schedule, visit any participating location.
Initially launched in 2008, SNL includes gang prevention, gang intervention, violence interruption, community engagement, and juvenile gang reentry programs. An important piece of the GRYD strategy, the program was credited with reducing crime at over 70 percent of sites in 2019.
Summer Night Lights will run through Sept. 2. For more Information and to find a nearby location visit https://www.lagryd.org/snl2022.html.
