As an organization concerned with the impact violence has on our community broadly, we know that a big key to a better tomorrow begins with positive youth engagement.
When the Hamden Police Department told EGH a couple of years ago that they were exploring forming a Police Activity League (PAL) to keep local youth engaged it was immediately appealing to us. Kids who are engaged with positive role adult models are on a track for a better future.
This year the Hamden Police Department announced that their PAL nonprofit has officially formed and as of July the first round of programming is live. Currently, Hamden PAL offers youth martial arts classes and hiking activities, with future activities expanding into arts.
As a lean, volunteer-led nonprofit EGH knows and leans in on the fact that we can do more good and create stronger impact when we partner with other organizations in our community.
Hamden PAL brings a wealth of talent, experience, and passion to youth engagement. How do we know?! We have been actively partnering with the Hamden PD for two years bringing youth to watch college sports and have built strong relationships with the officers/ instructors leading these activities.
With that backdrop, we are pleased to announce that EGH pretty much instantly offered to invest in Hamden PAL as soon as we heard programming was going live. After speaking with the leadership of PAL we know that there is a sizable portion of families interested in Hamden PAL with a financial barrier to enroll their kids.
In our July Board meeting, the EGH Board unanimously approved sponsoring up to 20 youth to sign up for the inaugural year of Hamden PAL.
Investment in Hamden PAL allows us to further commit to our violence prevention and youth engagement initiatives in a scalable way. As taxes increase and households continue to feel financial pressure in Hamden, this new low-cost program will be harder and harder for many families to afford, especially those with many kids.
For our Board the biggest question is what does the community need look like for sustainable program growth? That led to a fruitful conversation about EGH evolving our ongoing investment in PAL and paying close attention to the growing need for support for this program as it expands. We can’t wait to watch Hamden PAL take off and continue to partner with the Hamden PAL on current and future needs!
Keeping our Hamden youth engaged with positive role models is critical to a healthy community!”
-Crystal Zukauskas, President of EGH
About Hamden PAL (the following are excerpts from their website):
Hamden Police PAL is a nonprofit, community-based organization led by Hamden police officers, volunteers, and local advocates who share a passion for empowering youth. We create safe, engaging spaces where kids can build confidence, develop leadership skills, and form lasting bonds with positive adult role models.
At Hamden Police PAL (Police Activities League), our mission is to foster strong, positive relationships between local police officers and the youth of Hamden through mentorship, sports, arts, and outdoor programs. We believe in guiding the next generation toward personal growth, community involvement, and lifelong success.
Youth Programming is designed for ages 8-17 years old!
