More than 350 boys from across Charlotte packed into Johnson C. Smith University’s Brayboy Gym this week, trading idle summer hours for drills, workshops and lectures at the 11th annual Impact Camp. The free, weeklong program is built around mentorship and practical skills that organizers say can help keep kids away from risky behavior.
Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson took the microphone during camp and used the visit to sound the alarm about a recent rise in so‑called “teen takeovers.” She also pointed to a proposed citywide 9 p.m. curfew for anyone under 18, tying the boys’ busy schedules on campus to a broader push to keep youth safe and off the streets at night.
Organizers, led by the nonprofit Meck Investment Company, said this year’s camp enrolled more than 350 boys ages 8 to 13 and folded in sessions on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and college readiness, according to Queen City News. Per Meck Investment Company, Impact Camp has run for more than a decade as a free, weeklong program designed to connect kids with mentors and hands‑on skills. The daily schedule mixes classroom workshops, recreation and guest visits from civic and public‑safety partners.
Camp Focuses On Mentorship And Skills
Counselors say the age band is no accident. The program zeroes in on boys 8 to 13 because organizers believe earlier exposure to structure and role models can help head off “wrong decisions” later in adolescence, Shawn Kennedy told Queen City News. In practice, that means long days of financial‑education classes, field visits and one‑on‑one mentoring layered on top of the usual summer‑camp games…