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The Beginning of Summer Witness

In 1966, Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, newly installed in the city, faced a challenge to lead the Archdiocese through what the rest of the community and nation was struggling with – segregation, integration, and civil rights. At that time, African American children were not allowed to play, learn or socialize with white children.

As the typical New Orleans sweltering summer began, the Archbishop became aware of an inequity that African American children had faced for many years – they were not allowed to swim in public pools. For Archbishop Hannan, the solution was clear: the private pool at Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Avenue would become these children’s own personal oasis.

Children from the poorest neighborhoods in New Orleans enjoyed swimming in a pool for the first time that year, and a project was born. The next summer, a program was formally established in June and July, and Summer Witness was on its way. Since that time, Summer Witness has given nearly 100,000 children a summer camp experience.

Summer Witness Addresses the Whole Child

This six-week high-interest learning program includes math and language arts along with self-esteem building, cultural enrichment and recreation. Activities are designed to strengthen awareness, offer exposure to life opportunities, and keep children’s minds fertile between school years.

Summer Witness addresses the “whole child” through a values-based program that utilizes the summer months to focus on the educational, cultural and social needs of children which often are not addressed during the regular school year. The program hires more than 100 degreed and certified teachers from public and private schools to direct and facilitate the program.

The overwhelming majority of Witness children are African American, and they come from some of the poorest neighborhoods in our city. More than 40% of New Orleans children live in poverty, compared to 15.2% of children nationwide. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Sample Characteristics.) The Witness program works in partnership with the public and parochial school systems and operates through school sites in neighborhoods of need. Participants must be eligible for the school free lunch program.

Witness provides:

• Daily 45-minute classes of math, science, reading and language arts
• Weekly swimming, cultural field trips and recreational activities outside of the neighborhood
• Daily classes in values to develop self-esteem, communication skills, decision making, conflict resolution and drug and teen pregnancy prevention
• Daily breakfast snacks and nutritious lunches for each child
• Career Direction Education to prepare teens for their futures

For more information, contact our Education Department at (504) 861-6360.