PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CROSSROADS AND BOSTON CENTERS FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES PROVIDES OUTDOOR SUMMER PROGRAMMING FOR BOSTON YOUTH
(BOSTON, MA) July 20, 2020 – A unique in-person day programming opportunity for youth in the City of Boston has been underway since July 13 thanks to a partnership between Crossroads, a youth development organization, and Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF). Committed to offering an alternative to virtual summer activities, Crossroads and BCYF have teamed up at nine community centers in neighborhoods across Boston to offer weeklong daytime programming from July 13 through August 14.
“Thanks to our partnership with Crossroads, we are able to offer more fun and engaging summer programs while following important new regulations and procedures,” said William Morales, Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF). “This program is a great addition to our other summer offerings and the children are loving it.”
The Crossroads/BCYF programs follow all COVID-19 regulations to ensure a safe and innovative solution to the reduction in summer programming as a result of the pandemic. These programs provide young people ages 7-12 with access to vital social networks and opportunities to grow and learn, families with an option for their children to be engaged out of the home, and youth with summer jobs. Each session will be 5 days long, taking place Monday through Friday from 8:30am -11:30am at community centers in the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, South Boston, Charlestown, East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain. Sessions will be limited to 50 youth, with group sizes no larger than 10. The program registration information can be found at Boston.gov/BCYF-Summer.
“As it became increasingly clear that running our overnight camps simply would not be feasible this summer, we began to reimagine how Crossroads might be part of the solution to meaningfully engage children from Boston who have spent the past four months in isolation, struggling with the loss of their social and educational systems,” said Simon Hess, President of Crossroads. “If we couldn’t bring kids to our camps, why not bring Crossroads programs to children in their own communities? After being connected to BCYF, it became clear that we shared a common objective – providing high quality programs to children and families who were looking for options beyond computer screens this summer.”
Crossroads is a youth development organization founded in 1936 with the mission of empowering young people to unlock their potential and positively impact the world. Crossroads offers year-round programming to 1,100 children and teens from greater Boston and Brockton, including day programs and overnight summer camps at Crossroads sites in Duxbury (Camp Wing), Brewster (Camp Mitton), and Ashby (Camp Lapham).
BCYF is also operating other virtual and in-person programming for registered youth at community centers across the city. Learn more about BCYF’s summer programs at Boston.gov/BCYF-Summer. These programs are in addition to a variety of expanded BCYF programming for teens and over 600 youth jobs through the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program. BCYF community centers will also continue to distribute meals to youth throughout the summer. The complete list of meal locations can be found at Boston.gov/departments/food-access.
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ABOUT CROSSROADS
Crossroads is a youth development organization founded in 1936 with the mission of empowering young people to unlock their potential and positively impact the world. The organization focuses on providing youth with access to opportunities for personal exploration and growth, which can transform their life trajectories. Crossroads programming focuses on outcomes in four areas – leadership development, social emotional learning, civic engagement, and college access and persistence – through year-round programming to 1,100 children and teens from greater Boston and Brockton, including overnight summer camps at Crossroads sites in Duxbury (Camp Wing), Brewster (Camp Mitton), and Ashby (Camp Lapham).
ABOUT BOSTON CENTERS FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES
Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) is the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency. BCYF operates 36 community centers in Boston that offer a variety of engaging and enriching programs for people of all ages created through community input and need. BCYF also oversees citywide programs including the nationally-recognized violence intervention and prevention SOAR Program (formerly Streetworker Program), the GIRLS Initiative, Camp Joy special needs program, and many aquatic offerings.