CAMBRIDGE CAMPING ASSOCIATION INC
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Mission Statement
Cambridge Camping's mission is to provide meaningful experiences to urban children from under-resourced circumstances in supportive and inclusive camp communities through enriching and inspiring programs. Camp is where children laugh, play, join in, and make memories to last a lifetime.
About This Cause
Since its founding in 1893, Cambridge Camping Association (CCA) has provided access and meaningful summer programming to under-resourced urban youth. Initially we provided low-income Cambridge children the opportunity to enjoy a "Country Week” away from the city on farms in Massachusetts. We have since expanded this service to low-income youth state-wide, placing children in day and overnight camps throughout New England. In 1969, CCA opened Cambridge Adventure Day Camp (CADC), a multi-racial, multi- ethnic, and multicultural camp in composition and outlook to address neighborhood racial tensions by bringing children together from every elementary school in Cambridge. In 1990, CCA launched Daybreak Day Camp (Daybreak) to address the social, emotional, and behavioral health needs of campers impacted by trauma and disability, in a smaller, more specialized setting. This year we launched Club Daybreak, a school- year Saturday program, offering Daybreak campers much needed continuity to the support, trauma sensitive care, and mentorship they receive during the summers. In September 2018, we celebrated 125 years of service to more than 25,000 children. CCA has never strayed from its founding mission and remains deeply committed to the social justice roots with which we began.Cambridge Camping is committed to mission-driven, evidenced-based practices for our agency and programs. Our camp communities offer opportunities for staff and families regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, socioeconomic status, or disability. Our work to align agency goals with activities, practices, and outcomes is highly intentional and our commitment to self- reflection and evaluation is reflected throughout our approach to programming. Our agency goals for all our programs include 1) serving children from under-resourced circumstances through young adulthood, 2) building diverse and supportive communities, and 3) providing engaging programming that fosters positive relationships, an ability to embrace challenges, and increased competencies for children, youth, and young adults. The Cambridge Adventure Day Camp (CADC) and Daybreak Day Camp (Daybreak) communities are strengthened by 1) maintaining enrollment for a single five-week session over the summer, 2) high return rates for campers, and 3) deliberate efforts to foster lasting connections with our campers as they become teens and young adults. In such environments, campers and staff feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe. They can face and master new experiences with increased confidence and greater resilience. Daily transportation to and from programming, field trips to museums and attractions with high admission fees, a sliding scale fee for tuition, expanded office hours, and established connections with schools and community agencies allow CCA to ensure accessibility for the most vulnerable children and families in our community. CCAccess, our scholarship and referral program places and sponsors over 350 low-income, urban children at partner day and overnight camps throughout New England. This summer we partnered for the first time with Sibling Connections, a camp that brings together -- for two weeks over the summer -- siblings separated by foster care. We placed 20 sibling campers together, for a total of 120 days. This year we also launched Club Daybreak, a school-year Saturday program, offering Daybreak campers much needed continuity to the support, trauma sensitive care, and mentorship they receive during the summers. CCA’s approach to programming includes our commitment to creating a community focused on trauma- sensitive care. Both camps and our school-year program address the unique social-emotional challenges faced by children growing up in poverty. 75% of these youngsters have experienced trauma that impacts their learning and relationships. Many of our campers have been exposed to domestic violence, drug or alcohol use, the loss of a caregiver, abuse, bullying and community violence. During the first week of school last year there were three reported shootings in neighborhoods where our campers live, and several local schools experienced a “lockdown”. Over the summer our campers were still talking about these incidents. The environments of both camps adhere to the recommendations of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children regarding trauma-sensitive care: providing mentoring adult relationships that foster hope and offer encouragement; using non-punitive and evidence-based collaborative approaches to managing behavioral issues; supporting children in forming and maintaining social connections; and intentionally promoting a sense of belonging to the community