CINCINNATI — Beaming families gathered inside the House of Joy Church on Friday to watch around 30 kids graduate from the Cincinnati Police Department's CITI Camp program.
CITI Camp, or Children in Trauma Intervention Camp, is a six-week program, CPD Capt. Joe Richardson said, meant to build character and teach life lessons to youth who have experienced trauma.
"There's a lot of character building, there's a lot of education, there's a lot of physical fitness," he said. "Really, when you boil it down, it's crime prevention through social development."
WATCH: See dozens of kids take the stage to receive recognition for their part in the CITI Camp program
Officially the Kimberly Williams CITI Camp since 2021, the program is targeted at kids ages 10 to 12 who are taken under the wing of CPD's Youth Services Unit.
During the ceremony, which lasted nearly three hours, kids showed off skills they learned at camp, like martial arts and a step program honoring Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
"They gave out a lot of awards to campers," Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said. "Think about how that can translate when they are back in their communities and they've been taught a skill set and they've been recognized for putting that skill set into play."
Among those to receive awards during the graduation was soon-to-be seventh grader Tamia Edwards, who wanted "all the awards."
"I love it because I'm very much of an overachiever. So when I didn't get an award (last year), I was like, 'Dang, like, make sure (you) work even harder to get that award,'" she said. "It definitely taught me some more self-discipline and how to become even more mature than I already am."
Edwards said she hopes to work in law enforcement when she grows up.
"It's very, very helpful. You learn a lot of different things that you wouldn't even expect them to teach you," said Edwards.
