The NYPD’s Department of Youth and Community Development announced new opportunities for thousands of youths in our city--expanding the “Saturday Night Lights” program. 

The Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center in East New York is a flashback of how crime has impacted our youth after a 6-year-old was fatally stabbed in an elevator back in 2014. 

Hoping to combat that issue, the program is bumping up from 20 gyms to 100 gyms in all five boroughs. 

It will provide high-quality sports on Saturday nights. The NYPD program that caters to youth from 11-18 years old is also in partnership with the five district attorney’s offices and several partners supported by the commitment of $5 million in funding from the mayor’s fiscal year 2022 recovery budget. 

With that funding, it will now allow 100 gyms on Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to be open, allowing kids to enjoy everything from basketball to martial arts. 

According to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, 23 sites will be coming to the Bronx.