Harlem Lacrosse: Thompson Island & Surfing!

While Camp Elevate may have finished up, the summer fun continues! This week, Elevate Youth partnered with Harlem Lacrosse to bring kids outside, try new things, and connect them with mentors. 

Harlem Lacrosse is a school-based non-profit organization that impacts youth through academic support, mentoring, leadership training, and lacrosse instruction. Harlem Lacrosse’s coaches are a daily presence for their youth at Mildred Avenue Middle School, helping them build confidence, set goals, and reach their fullest personal potential. This week, their program also brought in exciting field trips to Thompson Island and Hampton Beach with Elevate Youth.

At a bright 9:15 am on Monday, August 1st, Elevate Youth Staff Hailey and Waddy, Volunteer and Board Member Nicole, Harlem Lacrosse Coaches Chuck and Bri, and 13 curious students boarded the Outward Bound Ferry to Thompson Island.

Once on the beaches of one of Boston’s 35 Harbor Islands, Public Access Coordinator Jim King shared with us some history of the island. As he pointed to white shacks lining the shore, he explained how the island was used in the 1800s as a farming school for troubled and at-risk boys, and later became the Boston Asylum and Farm School for Indigent Boys. This history is now long behind us but the island is still used for innovative and adventurous learning for young people in the Boston area.

Our Harlem Lacrosse youthers adored flipping over rocks in the creek and searching for and identifying crabs all over the island. Skipping rocks also became a quick favorite. Our day was supplemented with sandwich lunches in the shade, a nature walk, and circle games like Ninja and “The Shoulder Game.” When returning back to Mildred Ave, kids were asking their coaches how they can come on our next trip.

Tuesday’s surfing trip brought high energy, huge smiles, and fantastic volunteers. Elevate Youth brought 15 kids, 3 Harlem coaches, 4 EY staff, 4 surf instructors from Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Company, and half a dozen volunteers for one-on-one surfing assistance at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. Cinnamon Rainbows staff suited everyone up in warm wetsuits and provided dry-land instruction before hitting the water. Many of the kids had never tried surfing before, but the light waves, knowledgeable staff, and loud calls of, “paddle-paddle-paddle, now UP!” supported them in a new-found love. Bougie boards and Domino’s pizza were also a huge hit all day long, too.

After a long day in the sun, we asked our youthers to fill out a quick survey about their surfing experience. We use these evaluations to ensure that we are best serving the needs of our community. Our evaluations focus on three areas: adult-youth relationship building, social and emotional learning, and comfort in the outdoors. 

When prompted with their favorite part of the surfing trip, one anonymous student responded, “My favorite part was having conversations with my helpers.” Elevate Youth is proud to supply helpful, knowledgeable, and engaged staff and volunteers focused on safety and community to support our kids.

If you’re interested in assisting in future Elevate Youth trips this summer and beyond you can learn more about our volunteer application process here. Looking for another way to support role-model relationships, getting outside, and trying new things? Consider a financial donation as well. Elevate Youth is made possible by our supportive community partnerships.