2025 Summer Nights Fundraiser

2025 SUMMER NIGHTS

Active City and Hartford’s Department of Sports and Recreation are building on the success of 2024’s Night Gym programming to provide Hartford youth a range of opportunities to engage and be active this summer. We are teaming up to bring Summer Nights to life—a free, city-wide program that provides safe, engaging evening activities for over 1,400 young people.

Through Night Gyms and a new City-Wide Basketball League, youth across Hartford will have access to sports, mentorship, and violence prevention services in welcoming spaces during high-risk evening hours. These programs don’t just keep kids active—they help build community, reduce crime, and create pathways for youth to grow, connect, and thrive.

We hope to bring this vision to life with your support!

DONATE HERE

2024 Night Gym Success

During July and August 2024 the Night Gym program provided safe and engaging evening recreational opportunities for more than 1000 youth and young adults in Hartford. This program was a partnership between Active City, the City of Hartford’s Department of Sports and Recreation, the Justice Education Center, and Hartford Public Schools. Community sports and activity providers were provided facilities and funding to offer free activities for Hartford Youth. Hartford’s Office of Violence Prevention positioned service providers from Hartford Communities the Care, Compass Peace Builders, Blue Hills Civic Association, and Brother Carl Institute at programming sites to mediate conflicts and connect youth with services as necessary.

Check out some news stories about this program from last summer: News 8, Fox 61, NBC Connecticut.

Night Gym programs promoted physical health through sports and fitness activities while fostering mental well-being and reducing stress. Programs built community connections, enhanced teamwork and leadership skills, and provided mentorship opportunities with positive role models for participants. By offering constructive alternatives to idle time, night gyms help reduce youth-related crime and violence, creating safer neighborhoods. Additionally, they supported personal growth, discipline, and the development of healthy, productive habits, contributing to the overall well-being of participants and the community.

HIGHLIGHT: total reported crime was down 16% compared to the same period in 2023. Violent crime was down 25%, shooting victims down 33% and murder victims down 79%. It is important to note that crime rates are connected to a number of factors - of which the Night Gym program had limited impact. However, it is noteworthy that crime rates were down across almost every category for the Night Gym programming period compared to 2023.

Why Night Gyms?

Night gym programs provide safe, structured environments for youth during high-risk evening hours, promoting physical health and community engagement. Studies have shown that structured recreation programs can help reduce juvenile crime by offering supervised activities that deter delinquency. Additionally, research indicates that neighborhood violent crime can be a significant environmental barrier to outdoor physical activity for adolescents who live in cities, particularly girls. By providing safe spaces for physical activity, night gym programs help mitigate these barriers and promote safer, healthier lifestyles among Hartford youth.