Summer is upon us and youngsters need something to do other than hang out at the mall. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is offering an option that may be just right.

Send your son or daughter to Sheriff Arpaio’s Camp Summer Stars for two days in June or July and you can sip lemonade and know that they are in good hands.

Arpaio is inviting Maricopa County middle and high school students to participate in a new and innovative two-day program that combines two successful programs – T.O.U.G.H. Tents and S.T.A.R.S. – specifically designed to show adolescents the realities of jail life and how to prevent adolescent involvement in drugs, tobacco, alcohol use, violence and gangs.

This camp will also address peer-pressure, anger management, online safety and issues of self-esteem and respect.

The campers will follow jail regulations, wear inmate clothing, work as an inmate laborer, eat jail food, sleep in jail tents/bunks and attend educational programs derived from the latest fundament principals on prevention.

The June dates are Thursday and Friday, June 23 and 24. The July dates are Thursday and Friday, July 21 and 22. Parents can register their children by calling 602-876-1685. There are going to be two age tracks; 8-12 and 13-18. Youngsters will spend the night after being dropped off by parents.

The camp runs from 8 a.m. on day one, until 4 p.m., day two.

“Kids will learn some valuable lessons,” Arpaio said. “They will have some fun, too.”

S.T.A.R.S. stands for Sheriff’s Teaching Abuse Resistance to Students. The program is derived from the latest fundamental principles on how to prevent adolescent involvement in drugs, tobacco, marijuana, alcohol use, violence and gangs. It also addresses peer-pressure, anger management, online safety and issues of self-esteem and respect.

T.O.U.G.H. TENTS stands for Teen Orientation Underscore Good Habits. This is an anti-drug, anti-crime program aimed at showing kids the realities of jail life before they find out the hard way. Campers will bunk in a fully simulated tent jail, specifically designed for adolescents. They will follow the jail routine and regulations, wear inmate clothing, work as inmate laborers, eat jail food and sleep in T.O.U.G.H. Tents.

Arpaio thanks the following as corporate contributors to Camp Summer Stars: Sheriff’s Youth Foundation and Fulton Homes.