After a six-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pine Bluff Police Department’s Police and Youth (PAY) Camp has returned, giving dozens of local children a chance to spend part of their summer learning, exploring and building relationships with first responders.
The camp, held at Belair Academy, offers children opportunities to participate in games, educational activities and mentorship while spending time with officers outside of emergency situations. Organizers say the goal is to create positive interactions with law enforcement while giving young people a safe and engaging place to spend their summer.
Lt. Jasmyn Womack of the Pine Bluff Police Department’s Services Division has been involved with PAY Camp since joining the department in 2012. She said she was first introduced to the program while rotating through different divisions as a rookie officer and has continued volunteering with it ever since.
Now that the camp has returned after its pandemic-related break, Womack said the program continues to benefit not only the children who attend but also the officers who participate.
Womack said she’s excited to see PAY Camp back after its last session in 2019. While attendance this year is around 75 children compared to roughly 300 before the hiatus, she believes participation will continue to grow as more families learn the program has returned.
Pine Bluff Police Department Public Information Specialist John Worthen said programs like PAY Camp play an important role in strengthening relationships between officers and the community.
Beyond activities at the camp, organizers have taken campers on trips to the Memphis Zoo and to see Toy Story 5 in Little Rock. Worthen said many of the children may have never traveled outside of Pine Bluff or Jefferson County, making those experiences especially meaningful.
He also noted that PAY Camp is one of several outreach initiatives the department hosts throughout the year, with events like National Night Out and the department’s Fall Festival continuing those efforts after the summer program concludes.
Among those helping make the program possible is John Thompson, a summer youth employment worker with the City of Pine Bluff who serves as a coach at PAY Camp. In addition to supervising campers throughout the day, Thompson said coaches focus on teaching life skills and encouraging positive growth while school is out for the summer.
At 21 years old, Thompson said working with the children has been especially rewarding because he can see himself in many of the campers and hopes to be a positive influence in their lives. He said the program gives many local children a safe, structured place to spend their summer while providing daily meals, teaching life skills and encouraging personal growth that extends beyond the summer.
For campers like China West, who will be entering the 10th grade this fall, the experience has also been an opportunity to build friendships and step into a leadership role among the younger children attending the program.
West said she has enjoyed interacting with campers of all ages and appreciates having the chance to learn something new each day. Although she no longer plans to pursue a career in public safety, she said she once wanted to become a firefighter because she admired the opportunity to help others.
Asked what has made PAY Camp memorable this summer, West reflected on what she believes sets the program apart.
