Children in the Revere Police Youth Academy have been having a great summer. The highlight for many included a visit from the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing Tuesday morning on the Revere High School baseball field.
Youths and adults watched as Trooper John Hazelrigg and Trooper Ken Dinjian landed their helicopter on the field and opened it for inspection.
The Youth Academy is held for one week in July and one week in August. Participants interact with police and go on field trips and demonstrations which include hiking, Codzilla, the Aquarium, a ropes course, K9 demonstration and more. These activities give police and youth time to interact. They also get to have discussions about texting and driving, vaping, social media risks, and other topics of concern, including the various roles of police officers in the community.
The Youth Academy is funded through a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety through the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
“This is the second year we’ve been funded and the goal is to build relationships with youth. We partner with the school department,†said Revere Police Academy Capt. Amy O’Hara.
Kris Oldoni, of the Revere Police, heads up the Youth Academy.
“We’re addressing issues that today’s youth are facing, social media, substance abuse, gang prevention, things of that nature,†Oldoni said. “We’re looking to build healthy relationship with the kids in the community and the agencies that are serving them.â€
Interim Police Chief James Guido said he hopes the program continues for many years to come.
“You can see that the kids love the program. It’s money well spent and we hope to expand it,†Guido said.
Thanks to additional grant monies the children were able to go on more field trips this year.
