An update on Summer Programs

Summer is fast approaching and the City of Cambridge remains committed to ensuring a wide variety of programming for young people to enhance well-being, create more community connections and reduce incidents of violence. This memo serves as an overall update on the planning by the city to provide supportive, engaging and innovative programming and opportunities for community building for the Summer of 2024.

Building on many years of commitment to providing comprehensive programming for young people, this update will outline how the Department of Human Service Programs, Community Safety Department, Cambridge Police Department, and the Cambridge Public Health Department are working collaboratively to offer opportunities for youth engagement throughout the summer.

This document is not intended to provide a comprehensive list of all the summer programming across the city. Many community-based organizations provide a wealth of support and opportunities for engagement with young people. The following is meant to provide an overview of what the City of Cambridge is doing directly and providing funding to support.

Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP)

Teen Summer Programs

Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP)

The goal of MSYEP is to serve as a young person's first job experience and exposure to the world of work. The program is open to Cambridge residents ages 14 through the summer after completing high school. MSYEP prioritizes low-income teens in its application and enrollment process and hires a staff of young adults, almost all from Cambridge, to ensure a successful summer for the teen and the worksite.

Teens are placed in public sector and non-profit jobs throughout Cambridge and in surrounding communities for six weeks during the summer. They work 20 hours a week and are paid minimum wage by the City. There are 25 MSYEP sites across the community with a STEAM focus. During Summer 2024, MSYEP will run from July 1 – August 9 and teens will make $15 per hour. There will be between 850 and 900 teens participating in this summer’s program.

Nearly half of the youth in MSYEP are placed in Summer Work and Learning sites, which offer participants a valuable educational and employment experience using the community’s resources to expose youth to potential educational or career paths.

This summer, the 27 Summer Work and Learning sites will host teens in a variety of learning and work experiences, including a new site with Lemelson MIT which will host 25 teens at The Foundry doing design work related to engineering innovation in the field of sports. The Foundry is also hosting a STEAM and dance inspired program to attract more young women to the field through the pathway of dance and movement.

Summer Teen Internships offered by Cambridge Youth Centers

Cambridge Youth Programs (CYP) operates three special paid daytime programs, described below, for teens in collaboration with the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Additionally, the Youth Centers will be open for both drop-in and enrichment activities nightly from July –August between the hours of 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Young people can participate in fun activities including movie nights, dance and cooking classes, art classes, game tournaments and fitness programs, just to name a few.

Moses Youth Center: Boys to Men is a leadership empowerment Internship for self-identified young men focusing on Wellness (Physical Fitness/Nutrition), Self-Care, Financial Literacy, Career Exploration, and Weekly Culture Dialogues centered around Social Justice, Music, Fashion, Art, and Sports.

Moses Youth Center: Blooming into Womanhood: This empowering program for self-identified young women seeks to help participants embark on a journey of self-discovery, self-awareness, and self- reflection. Through an intimate, supportive network of other young queens, they can discover their unique strengths, passions, and perspectives and use them to become catalysts of positive change and leaders.

In engaging and hands-on projects, they will work together to contribute to the betterment of their community while also finding their purpose and potential. Sessions will also focus on creative self- expression through movement, writing and/or art. These young queens will learn to become confident, powerful agents of transformation!

Russell Youth Center: Rites of Passage Program: The internship will provide opportunities for interns to develop 21st century skills, gain real-world experience, and contribute to the betterment of their community. The overall goal of this internship is to be a forceful catalyst for the beginning of the youth’s transition into young adulthood. Our program Elders (Teen Program Staff) serve as stewards to help youths navigate the challenges and activities we will be facilitating.

These challenges and activities are designed to enrich our interns through exposure to a new thought and process, but also draw internally from their own lived experience to add introspection and acceptance. In this, we seek to foster growth and transformation. We understand that our youths have genius, and we seek to honor their brilliance by creating an environment where they have the space to share their gifts, knowledge, and interests.

TEEN NIGHT LIVE: Hosted by Cambridge Youth Programs at Moses and Russell Youth Centers during Summer 2024, Teen Night Live invites Cambridge teens, ages 14 – 19, to come together and build community through games, events, music, sports, field trips, cookouts, and more! In addition, centers will have 2 “Coin” events, providing a paid incentive for participants and may include activities like roller skating, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, dance, self-improvement workshops and cooking from nature competitions. Beginning in July 2, teens can join Teen Night Live from Tuesday - Friday from 6 –9 p.m. at Russell Youth Center, and Monday – Thursday from 6 – 8 p.m. at Moses Youth Center.

Middle School / Pre-Teen and Teen Programs

Cambridge Recreation Summer Basketball Leagues

Last summer, more than 380 young people participated in Recreation Summer Basketball Leagues. For players, coaches, and staff, the leagues offer more than skill-building and competition; they foster lasting relationships and build community. In Summer 2024, Recreation is excited to add a new league, “Level Up,” for female athletes ages 12-14. The following Summer Basketball Leagues will run the week of July 1 through mid-August:

Medina Dixon Instructional Basketball (Girls, Ages 8- 11 ), Ahern Field

Level Up (Girls, Ages 12-14), Ahern Field

Davonte Neal Instructional League (Co-ed ages 8-11), Sennott Park

Sharif Moustafa Instructional League (Co-ed ages 9-13), Glacken Field

Kito Jackson League (formerly Fast Break League) (Boys ages 12-14 / grades 6-8), Hoyt Field Eurie Stamps, Sr. League (Boys 15 – 19 / grades 9-12+), Hoyt Field