Third annual ‘Summer of Safety’ campaign gives Dallas youth free entertainment options

The city of Dallas will once again offer a slew of free and low-cost activities designed to keep young people safe as school ends and the temperatures heat up.

Initiated by Mayor Eric Johnson, the third annual “Summer of Safety” is a partnership between several city departments, including the mayor’s office, Dallas Police Department, Dallas Independent School District, Department of Parks and Recreation and the Dallas Public Library system. City officials discussed the initiative’s programming to a crowd of about 60 people, including children, guardians and a teen youth group, Monday morning in the Mattie Nash-Myrtle Davis Recreation Center.

During the news conference, Johnson said he created this program because rates of violent crime are higher during the summer, and he doesn’t want the Dallas youth to be involved.

“We are going to be proactive about protecting them in the summer,” Johnson said.

Johnson mentioned there are hundreds of programs available through the Dallas Public Library, as well as the SMART Summer reading programs that uses prizes to incentivize children to read. He also mentioned the Mayor’s Youth Sports Ticket Program that helps teens access tickets to professional, collegiate and amateur sporting events for free.

The most popular program to return is the “Teen All-Access Pass,” which gives residents of the city of Dallas aged 13 to 17 free access to some of the city’s museums, waterparks, fitness centers and cultural centers during the month of July.

Other programming available to the teens of Dallas through the police department, include midnight basketball, boxing and movie nights, police Chief Eddie García said. Stephanie Elizalde, superintendent of Dallas ISD, said the schools offer activities such as chess, summer sports programs, cheer, debate, mariachi, robotics, pickleball and others.

“If someone told me I would be announcing this activity this summer, I would have never believed them,” Elizalde said. “But we’re even offering cornhole.”

Elizalde said these activities — which are all free — will be run by certified educators, and there will be transportation to and from the schools.

Crystal Ross, deputy director of the Park and Recreation Department, said there are 53 summer camps offered at different recreation centers and libraries across the city. She also mentioned the 20 aquatics facilities and 17 spray grounds that Dallas residents can access for free. There may be a cost associated with swim lessons at these facilities, but there is funding available to offset those costs, Ross said.

Brandon Huey — a leader for the Teen Oriented and Prepared for Success program — brought about 10 members of the program to the news conference. TOPS is part of the Parks and Recreation Department, and it offers teens and their families different resources and programming based on their interests.

“It is also important to showcase, and for [the teens] to hear the main plan for the summer safety so that their families also know that we have their best interests at heart,” Huey said before the news conference.

Ashley Knight, a West Dallas resident, brought her three children to the news conference to learn about the different programs. After looking into camps that would cost $75 a week per child, she realized that she needed to look for less expensive opportunities for the summer.

“I’m signing them up for [the city programs] next week,” she said.