Nashua Police Athletic League

Nashua PAL was founded in 1989 and is currently operating out of the Youth Safe Haven, a building located in what is locally referred to as Nashua's inner-city 'Tree Streets', since 2004. On any given day, more than 65 'PAL kids' between the ages 7 - 18 come to Nashua PAL after school and during vacation periods to participate in free activities, including homework club, cooking, crafts, photography, one-on-one mentoring, boxing, open gym, gaming, young female empowerment opportunities, field trips and more. More than 400 Nashua youth are cared for each year at Youth Safe Haven at no cost to families, with the support of staff, Nashua police officers, community volunteers, and interns from colleges and universities across New England. The Youth Safe Haven lives up to its name. It provides a safe environment for Nashua's at-risk youth to gather outside of school, even though approximately 20% of felony assaults and heroin overdoses in Nashua occur within one mile of Nashua PAL. Nashua PAL's free afterschool and summer programming is designed to help children and teens build leadership skills through educational experiences, mentoring, and the development of trusting relationships between Nashua's at-risk youth and Nashua police officers. These programs have grown exponentially over the last few years, at least 25% year-over-year since 2017. This growth, combined with an already aging 102-year-old building, necessitated the Youth Safe Haven remodel project.