Summer of Safety: City of Dallas offers free and low-cost summer activities for kids and teens

Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson, Police Chief Eddie Garcia and other city and Dallas ISD officials announced a new “Summer of Safety” campaign to highlight some of these activities.

Here is some of what’s available:

Dallas Park and Recreation

Dallas Park and Recreation hosts a number of programs all summer long. Browse everything Dallas Parks have to offer at dallasparks.org.

Teen All Access Pass 

Dallas Park and Recreation is partnering with local organizations to sponsor a Teen All-Access Pass that will allow youth free entry to more than ten popular Dallas cultural and recreational venues. Passes will be distributed to teens between the ages of 13 to 17 who live within City of Dallas limits. Starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 3, teens can pick up the passes at their nearest recreational center and begin to enjoy summer!

The fun ranges from visiting the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Dallas Zoo and many other attractions.

Aquatic Centers

Recreation Centers

Classes and programs are offered at Dallas Park and Recreation’s 43 recreation centers located throughout the city. Each center offers an assortment of programming from day camps (click here and here for more details) to sports lessons. A full list of available programing can be found here. Advanced registration may be required.

Best Buy Teen Tech Center

Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s Best Buy Teen Tech Center is an innovative, creative, out-of-school learning space where young people, ages 12 – 17, can work with adult mentors to develop new skills, explore their own ideas, and build confidence in themselves through the use of technology.

Teen Late Night

The first Friday of the every month is Teen Night for youth ages 13-17. Teens are invited to one of the recreation centers listed below from 7pm – 10pm, to participate in free activities designed with them in mind!

Counselor in Training (CITs) Programs

Youth ages 13-16 have an opportunity to acquire job skills through Parks’ summer leadership training program. CITs support recreation programs and have a primary focus on youth Summer Camp. $35/per week. Call the following locations for more information: Kiest: 214.670.1918; Martin Weiss: 214.670.1919; Pleasant Oaks: 214.670.0945.

Dallas Public Library

Classes and programs are offered at all 30 library locations across the city for all ages. Classes include music and art lessons, language classes and story times in both English and Spanish. Find out what’s happening at your local library here.

SMART Summer with Mayor Johnson

Dallas Public Library’s popular summer reading and learning program is back in person after two years of virtual-only experiences. Students 18 and younger who read, or are read to, at least 20 minutes a day earn a free book for every 10 days of reading, up to five times through Aug. 13. When students have read 50 days, they will be entered in the grand prize drawings. Plus, there are events and hands-on activities every week to engage science, math, art, reading and technology interests.

Online registration is now open at www.dallaslibrary.org/smartsummer

Office of Arts and Culture

The City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture offer programs and classes throughout the summer in addition to ongoing exhibits and concerts. The full calendar of events and programs can be found here.

Mayor’s Youth Sports Ticket Program 

The Mayor’s Youth Sports Ticket Program is an initiative created to welcome local youth to area professional, collegiate, and amateur sporting events at no charge. Dallas residents between the ages of 12 and 17 are eligible to participate with a goal of including sports fans who might otherwise not be able to attend their hometown teams’ events.  Partnering with the Dallas Sports Commission, the Mayor’s program will provide a ticket to sports experiences to adolescents with each youth ticket holder also receiving an accompanying ticket for a chaperone.  The tickets are to be distributed on a first come, first served basis per availability. Learn more here.

Dallas Police Department

Dating violence is more common than you may think, especially among teens and young adults.  The Dallas Police Department offers presentations and community workshops for internet and dating safety. For more details, see this flyer for Dating Violence Awareness.

The Dallas Police Department offers youth programing throughout the summer such as self-defense classes, midnight basketball, boxing programs, disc golf, movie nights, kickball events, and other programs. Learn more by calling the Department’s Office of Community Affairs at (214) 671-4045 or by visiting www.dallaspolice.net/communitys/you-programs