by Dianne Anderson

Kids with boundless energy and no money in their pockets will soon be out looking for fun, sometimes in all the wrong places.

They will hit the streets and learn there are not many freebies in the real world. Summer camps typically run from $80–200 per child, even as many parents likely need that money to buy dinner or pay rent.

If not for Akoma Unity Center, it could add up to dull days ahead.

Among the center’s many programs, kids get free eats. Sankofa Saturday Learning Center offers 12 weeks of learning about industrial automation and robotics to challenge their scientific side. Their after school STEAM projects are strong on creativity and leadership development.

Kendra Calvin, a certified mental health instructor facilitating the program, said students are gaining mental health wellness tools for everyday life struggles and sharing solutions with their friends.

Calvin got started with the program while offering the class at Chaffey Joint Unified, where she is a teacher. There, the year-long course was an elective, but for Akoma students, who graduated with their mental health certificate this week, the program has been downsized to about three months.

“Basically, what they’re learning is how to understand their emotions, how the brain is developed, where our emotions stem from,” said Calvin, who is also the daughter of Akoma Executive Director Kim Calvin.

Ever since COVID, she has seen how kids are dealing with more social anxiety. Many children can’t seem to hold conversations or express how they feel, which can surface in behavioral issues or a lack of emotional intelligence.

“Our main goal was to make sure these scholars were able to understand how to process their emotions, how to let them go, whether journaling, yoga, or meditation. We’ve given them a lot of skill sets – how not to sit with their emotions too long – that’s how depression sets in,” she said.

Their next Akoma class for teen mental health first aid certification starts again in August, meeting every Thursday and Saturday and is open for youth 12–17 years. Scholars receive stipends for the sessions they attend.

Other hands-on learning at the center’s Anne Shirrells Community Garden also has kids and teens growing up to 16 harvests a year. Ecology-minded scholars can slip into their lab jackets in the Drip’d Squad Water Education Program, study conservation, test the water, and speak at city council meetings.

The kids go on lots of field trips.

“Last week, we went to the mental health festival in Los Angeles, we give them a lot of opportunity to network – a lot of students want to get into psychology and social work – not only do we want to provide them with mental health support, but also to speak to mentorship and look for internships,” she said.

In the meantime, the center is inviting new youth into the mix. Recently, she said they made their own essential oil rollers with lessons in aromatherapy, and created scents to de-stress with peppermint oil.

Most kids at the center have been attending since elementary school. Now, they’re pushing high school graduation.

“They’re incorporating their friends and speaking on how we have affected their lives,” she said. “We also just built a wellness center inside of Akoma. We had our ribbon cutting a couple of weeks ago.”

Programs at San Bernardino County are also inviting parents to get their foster children and teens involved. Spots are still open for an upcoming Catalina trip, which is always a hit for over 300 kids and teens who participate.

Best of all, it’s free.

“We had foster parents talking about this was so good for their kids last year, and to make sure they signed up their kids this coming year. We try to do as much as we can for our foster youth,” said Jeany Glasgow, director of Children and Family Services for San Bernardino County.

Their year-round YEEP program for county foster youth aged 8–17 offers summer camps focused on the great outdoors, creative arts, leadership development, and building new friendships.

“Foster parents sign up their kids just like any other camp, we want foster kids to have the experience,” she said. “The other thing that we were excited to offer is that if the foster family has biological children, we were able to pay for them if they had foster youth.”

More events around town include beginner and intermediate swim lessons open for $5 per session, available for children ages 3 to 5 this summer at the Hernandez Community Center, located at 222 N Lugo Ave. Classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m., from June 9 to July 2.

Also $5, a second session is offered at the Delmann Heights Community Center at 2969 N Flores St., on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m., from June 10 to July 3. To participate, children must be at least 2 years and 11 months, and no older than 5 years and 11 months.

At the Hernandez Community Center, kids, teens and their family members are invited to get Back to Nature with ongoing excursions that have taken over 2,200 participants on 42 trips in the past three years. Overnight camps in the wild are held in Wrightwood, Silverwood Lake, a winter retreat in Cedar Glen, and day trips to SeaWorld San Diego, North Etiwanda Nature Preserve, and the Santa Monica Pier Preserve.

And with all that summer playtime, kids will be working up an appetite.

Students on CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal, or who attend a school with free or reduced meals, are likely eligible for $120 each. Through the SUN Bucks program, the county’s S-EBT card works like a debit card, split into $40/month for June, July, and August.

Families should update their mailing address to make sure SUN Bucks are sent to the right place.

“SUN Bucks are on S-EBT cards that are mailed out to nearly five million automatically eligible children starting mid-June through August 2025,” the website says.

For more information on:

Akoma Unity Center programs, see https://akomaunitycenter.org/

SB County Foster programs, see https://main.sbcounty.gov/2025/04/17/cfs-hosts-youth-enrichment-and-exploration-program-kickoff-events

For the free food SUN Bucks program, see https://main.sbcounty.gov/2025/05/15/free-summer-meal-program-ensures-children-have-adequate-nutrition-2/

Free SBCUSD free meals and distribution sites, see https://sbcusdnutritionservices.org/

Back to Nature, see  https://www.sanbernardino.gov/279/Back-2-Nature-Program

Delmann Heights Center summer programs, call 909-998-2830

For more information on swimming, see https://www.sanbernardino.gov/255/Aquatics