WILLIAMSBURG — Registration is underway for the 30th annual Summer Youth Achievement Program (SYAP) sponsored by the City of Williamsburg.
The seven-week experiential program runs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from June 24 through Aug. 9. SYAP is free and open to City of Williamsburg youth aged 11 to 15.
According to the city, the program focuses on the “3 Rs” — Respect, Responsibility and Role Modeling — building a foundation for academic, social and career success as the participants become young adults.
Anyone interested in participating must fill out an application and complete an interview with city staff, it said.
Applications are being accepted through Monday, June 3, and are available at
the Department of Human Services on the first floor of the Municipal Building, 401 Lafayette St.
The program includes transportation to and from home; snacks and water daily; daily lunch at the William & Mary cafeteria; and two uniforms (shorts and T-shirts).
SYAP activities include a range of governmental, academic, cultural, and fun activities geared toward building self-esteem, self-confidence, teamwork, and the development of the right tools to achieve short- and long-term goals, according to the city.
For students needing remedial and other support services, youth counselors and volunteers
from William & Mary provide additional prevention, mentoring, and tutoring activities during the subsequent school year, it added.
The first summer program started as a joint effort between the city’s Human Services
Department and William & Mary’s Multicultural Affairs Office through a program called Higher Aspirations for Wisdom and Knowledge (HAWK), launched after a city council-established City Youth Commission recommended year-round youth prevention activities, the city said.
Now in its 30th year, the city said the program is a longstanding, proactive way for it to invest in its youth to become productive and contributing members of the Williamsburg community.
For more information, contact Youth Program Coordinator Tai Newsome at 757-220-6161.
