PAL Campers Return As Counselors

Dozens of nostalgic youth who use to be campers of the New Haven Police Activities League (PAL) summer camp have returned to the program as counselors to mentor this years group of about 240 children.

Mayor Toni Harp joined Interim Police Chief Otoniel Reyes at Wilbur Cross High School Monday morning at the start of the annual summer camp’s second week. The program aims to make the participating 8 – 13 year-olds feel safer and more comfortable around law enforcement and avoid street violence said, Harp said.

“The kids get to have positive reinforcements with officers,” said Reyes. ​“They [officers] give them a lot of love and support.”

This year the program is also staffed by two additional Yale University officers and eight Yale football players along with city school resource officers (SRO), cops who are stationed inside schools during the academic year.

SRO Ivelisse Ortiz works with the 10-year-olds in the program. She has watched campers return every year to PAL. She now even works with youth counselors who she remembers mentoring while they were campers not long ago. Ortiz said she has been a part of the program since 2008 when the program had only about 50 campers.

“It has a little bit of everything for everyone,” said 10-year-old Jeron Burruss (pictured above third from left).

After having breakfast on Monday, Ortiz’s group dedicated 30 minutes to silent reading in the cafeteria. Adrial Cedeno (picture above fourth from left) proudly showed off his handmade bookmark from an arts and crafts activity Ortiz put together for the children during their first week.

Ortiz asks her group to bring a book of their choice with them to read for a half hour every day. If they don’t have a book to read, she provides options from a large box.

“I get to do different stuff every day with my friends,” said 10-year-old Luis Serrano.

Patrol Sgt. Ron Ferrante oversees the program with a staff of nearly 60 people. Cianela Rosino, 17, is a volunteer counselor on the PAL staff for the 9‑year-old group. Rosino graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School this year and plans to attend New England College to focus on psychology and criminal justice.

“PAL gives me the opportunity to work with kids and cops so I get to understand both sides,” Rosino said.

She said she has enjoyed watching her group of kids become more open and comfortable with the officers in only a week.

Benedict Djirangaye, 15, is a junior at Wilbur Cross High School who serves as a counselor under city government’s Youth at Work program. For her second year, she requested to be a PAL counselor again because she attended the camp when she was young.

This year one of Djirangaye’s goals is to get better at disciplining the campers.

Djirangaye is also working with the 13-year-old group once again. ​“I’ve learned to be more patient and responsible because I have to make sure I’m watching everybody,” she said.

Before the start of the program on July 1, the staff went through CPR training, which Djirangaye said was a long two hours.

Ferrante was excited to see so many teens who were former PAL campers return to be counselors. ​“It really shows that they appreciate PAL and see the need for it here,” he said.

This year the camp charged a $25 registration fee per family which helps to fund supplies and some of their group trips. About three years ago Ferrante was an SRO helping to facilitate PAL. He said this year he looks forward to the bowling and Lake Quassy Amusement Park trips.

“For years PAL has opened up the bridge for youth to see our officers differently,” Ferrante said.

Later in the day, Mayor Harp reflected on how PAL camp advances the goals of community policing by building positive connections between officers and young people and their families.

“They don’t have on any uniforms. They have on their T‑shirts. They have on their shorts. They look probably like their parents do,” Harp said of the participating officers, during her latest appearance on WNHH FM’s ​“Mayor Monday” program.

“It’s a really informal way to develop a mentoring relationship sometimes, a relationship that is outside the structured police relationship.”

She also noted that the police raise all the money for the program. Some have donations withheld from their regular paychecks. They also hold a golfing fundraiser.

Click on the video below for the full episode of WNHH FM’s ​“Mayor Monday” program: 

WNHH’s ​“Mayor Monday” is made possible with the support of Gateway Community College and Berchem Moses P.C.