All kinds of fun, quirky and educational activities have been going on in Griswold since the pandemic began last year, thanks to its Parks & Recreation and Youth Center staff.

Events have included scavenger hunts with online clues, “drive-thru” and online “Boredom Buster” activities, as well as social media pet and Halloween contests.

The Griswold Youth Center has been open since September 2020 with Center for Disease Control protocols in place. Youths can access computers, play video games, or just socialize with others, all at a distance. Soon, they will be able to get some fresh air and exercise playing basketball, volleyball and four-square outside.

To bring the community together, which “is more important than ever,” Director Ryan Aubin said in an email, his “department was forced to think outside the box since March (2020).”

He said when he sees youth “around the town, in the parks or at the youth center,” they “all say how bored they are. Parents are worried about the mental health of their children. It’s on our minds each day, driving around town seeing kids bored or glued to their cell phones.”

To stay safe while interacting with others last year, Aubin’s staff organized a Family Fishing event at Griswold Fish & Game, transformed the annual Youthtopia into a drive-thru event featuring food, ice cream, Sonic and Minnie Mouse appearances and items to take home. Plus, a drive-thru Snowflake Parade drew over 3,000 people.

He said his part-time six-member team is very creative.

“I throw an idea on the table. They take the football and run with it!” he said. “Our Griswold Recreation Commission and local volunteers give us inspiration to keep developing new and creative COVID programming.”

Last summer, Aubin and two staff members followed Robin’s Ice Cream truck for 10 hours in the Youth Center van to purchase treats for local children and interact with them. In December, the department’s Holiday Helper Christmas Program supplied gifts for more than 200 local children and gift cards for an additional 200-plus local families.

Many people of various ages tell him in person and on Facebook that he and his staff are “doing an amazing job,” said Aubin, recipient of the 2019 Greater Norwich Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award.

“We have received compliments from senior citizens expressing their appreciation for giving their grandkids and families something to look forward to,” Aubin said.

The programs are “not all geared to our youth. It’s family oriented, which I really like,” said Kathleen Dufficy, founder of Matt’s Mission, a nonprofit drug awareness organization in Jewett City, during a telephone interview.

On a daily basis, children can play chess online or request YC Craft Kits 4 Kids, which include fun STEM and art projects similar to what children do at summer camp. Local families can also claim 20 free books monthly, which would provide their children with plenty of stimulating reading material.

When temperatures warm up, youths will be able to mine for “riches” as part of the ongoing Griswold Treasure Hunt, which will utilize one-ounce copper rounds (tokens).

“As they dig these up, each one will represent a reward, prize or something they can use for school, something useful but something still cool that a kid will like,” local YouTube star Joshua Bossie said during a telephone interview.

He added that he enjoys documenting history on YouTube and that “it’s unbelievable” what you can find in the ground: buttons, buckles, old coins and silver spoons.

“It’s a good way to get kids away from their laptops, get them outside (for) fresh air and exercise. They can still social distance, because you can’t really metal detect next to another person. You’ve got to have a little room or the machines get all wacky,” Bossie said. “So it’s a good way to find a new hobby where you’re not locked indoors. And it’s really good because you’re a kid on a treasure hunt. It’s like being a kid on a pirate ship.”

Two children’s metal-detecting machines are being donated to the Youth Center by Bossie’s sponsors Nokta Makro and Destination Gold Detectors. Bossie, who plans to show youths how to use the machines, is also donating a pinpointer and beach gear.

More events are planned for future months, but depend on the status of the pandemic and the governor’s rules, Aubin said. He added that he hopes the Eggtopia! Community Egg Hunt, a huge town event in the past, can “be broken up into neighborhoods where the Easter Bunny will be.”

This year’s Griswold Summer Camp may also be split into three locations instead of one as in previous years. Additionally, the annual Griswold Get-Together could eliminate the large carnival portion of the event and just feature fireworks.

Another yearly activity, the Community Yard Sale, could be shifted to an online format, which would enable residents to list their own yard sales and promote them through the Parks & Recreation Department.

This month, the Youth Center staff began tutoring and mentoring 25 students struggling with distance learning in grades 4 through 10 who have been referred to them by the school system. Aubin said that once “report cards come out, those who do well move on, but will stay in touch with their tutor in a mentor role as we fill the spot with a new student. Those who still need help stay in the program.”

Also, the Youth and Family Services Department offers the Juvenile Review Board, which he said “is tasked with diverting the trajectory of first time youth/teen offenders in minor criminal cases.”

Helping out with the program, Aubin added, are a board of local mental/behavioral health organizations, school social workers, Youth Center staff and other important local organizations.

This community approach helps offenders “learn from their mistakes” and right their wrongs “in a six-month or longer process, instead of being sent to juvenile court,” Aubin said.

Every day, the lifelong Griswold resident said his Parks and Recreation team shows up wearing its other “Youth & Family Services hat” as well, always ready to tackle a new challenge and develop new events virtually or in person and “mentor the kids that come in. Help them through this pandemic. When our Tutoring program starts, we will be hands on in changing the trajectory of at-risk youth struggling academically and mentally. Our Team is there for them. Our motto is ‘Always Reaching Higher.’”

Dufficy believes the numerous activities implemented by the Griswold Parks and Recreation Department help people feel less isolated.

“I am very impressed with all the activities and projects that Ryan has brought to our town,” Dufficy said. “It does help with the pandemic. It helped even before COVID.”

For more information, visit griswoldfys.com. The Griswold Parks & Recreation Department and Youth Services are located at 68 Ashland St.