Chelsea youth carnival attempts to give
adolescent vax numbers a shot in the arm
Activities at the Youth Vax day Carnival included obstacle courses.
BY DEAN MOSES
The Hudson Guild and NYCHA are
promoting adolescent COVID-19
inoculations through games and
free food.
As the city moves out of the worst of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the fi ght to continue
saving lives is shifting to prevention efforts.
Following the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s recommendation that children
starting at age 12 can now receive the
life-saving jab, Hudson Guild teamed with
NYCHA to hold a Youth Vax day Carnival
on Tuesday designed to offer children the
vaccine amidst a host of exciting activities.
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
The playground on West 17th Street
between 9th and 10th Avenue was overfl
owing with fun, summer activities and
Children laughed as they played jump rope.
games such as obstacle courses, tug of war
ropes, potato sack races, large connect
fours, and more. Not only that, but families
were also offered free food such as popcorn
and barbecued burgers on the scorching
June 8 afternoon.
Cela is a 36-year-old mother of a 5-yearold
and 13-year-old and says she came to
the event for her daughter, but she admits
that she will be holding off vaccinating her
eldest child.
“I got it for me but my kids—not yet.
There hasn’t been enough research on it.
He is perfectly healthy. He can wait on it,”
Cela told amNewYork Metro as her daughter
was handed a cup of popcorn, adding,
“It’s great to be outside again.”
While youth immunizations remain a
hard sell for some parents, social gatherings
such as these would not likely be
taking place without the vaccine rollout.
It is with this in mind that the Director
of Community Building for Hudson Guild
Daisy Mendoza says she is looking to help
save lives and continue keeping infection
rates down.
“A lot of people in this neighborhood
are vaccine-hesitant, so we are really trying
to promote the safety of the vaccine
by including fun, out of the box type of
things,” Mendoza said, explaining that a
nurse was on hand to speak with parents
and legal guardians regarding the safety
and effectiveness of the injections.
“The nurse talks about COVID and the
vaccine and why it is safe. We also have a
vaccine clinic right here on 17th Street, so
we can escort the ones who do want to get
vaccinated right here,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza shared that within the fi rst
hour of the carnival, fi ve children signed
up to get the jab. The event ran from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m.
Health information was on hand.
6 June 10, 2021 Schneps Media