Sign-up set to begin for Albany State Youth Enrichment Program

ALBANY — For as many as 300 area boys and girls ages 8-15, a first taste of a fun, post-COVID reality will be available June 1-July 2 during the Albany State Youth Enrichment Program. The ASYEP is the successor of the long-time NYSP enrichment program held at Albany State University.

The university now is the soul funding source for the monthlong camp, according to camp coordinator Robert Skinner.

“This is something that we need in this community, this region,” Skinner said of the camp. “It’s an enrichment opportunity for kids that will offer academics, math and science, technology, English language arts … and a lot of fun activities for the participants. We’ve got a lot of things for them to do: basketball, kickball, tennis, swimming — we’ll teach swimming lessons — dance, cheerleading.

“There will be plenty of enrichment opportunities, mixed with a full day of activities.”

Registration for the ASYEP program, which is not an overnight camp but will be conducted weekdays during the run of the program, will be conducted from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday and next Saturday, May 8 at Albany State’s HPER Gymnasium. Skinner said a final camp registration day will be held May 20.

“We expect as many as 300 students from this area: Dougherty, Lee, Terrell, Worth, Baker and Calhoun counties,” he said. “It’s not limited to any geographic boundaries, but parents need to be aware of the daily driving distance if they’re not from this region.

“The kids will participate weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The plan is to feed them two meals each day, but that’s not official right now, due to COVID restrictions. We hope that by the time camp starts, things will be more normal.”

Skinner said volunteers that will include ASU athletes, faculty and coaches, employees with the Dougherty, Worth and Lee school systems and others in the community will help run the camp.