KYDS Program Added at a 3rd Park

Sandy Kievman figures the best way to get kids to put down their spray-paint cans is to hand them a bat and ball.

Kievman’s program, called KYDS for Keep Youth Doing Something, has been busy doing exactly that in Canoga Park and Reseda. On Friday evening, KYDS will make its debut in Pacoima when City Councilman Richard Alarcon tosses out the first ball at Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park on Fillmore Street. The games are slated to begin at 5 p.m.

“It’s a very nice looking park, but it’s in an area that has a high concentration of gang activity,” Alarcon said. “This project is designed to target gang kids to have them do things that are organized and constructive, rather than destructive.”

With the help of People for Parks, the Los Angeles Police Department’s CRASH anti-gang program and Alarcon’s office, KYDS has been able to sign up six teams with about 90 players, said Kievman, who directs KYDS.

Organizers say they hope to add other sports, as well as job counseling and social services for youths at risk of becoming involved in gangs, said David Potell, North Valley recreation supervisor for the city Department of Recreation and Parks.

“It’s just part of taking back the park for more wholesome things,” Potell said. “We actually had some of the gang members involved in the planning.”

Kievman and Potell credited the program with curbing gang activity and increasing park use in other areas of the San Fernando Valley. “Kids have taken their team names instead of a gang identity,” Kievman said. “We’ve seen a turnaround in Canoga Park.”

About 125 youths have been playing in the weekly games for about 18 months at Lanark Park and Recreation Center in Canoga Park, and another 80 play in Reseda Park.

The KYDS program, which also includes field trips and dances, was funded through a $40,000 seed grant from the National Park Service, Kievman said. The group is seeking additional funding as well as volunteers, she said.

“If we are able to get the grant money, we’ll be able to hire a few people at the parks,” Kievman said. “We’d like to hire a few of the older kids for that, to give them leadership roles.”