Mission
Cambridge Camping provides meaningful and inspiring experiences to children from urban and under-resourced circumstances in supportive and inclusive summer camp and school year out-of-school time communities.
Our Story
Since 1893, Cambridge Camping has been dedicated to transforming the lives of children from urban and under-resourced circumstances through exceptional summer camp and out-of-school programs. Born from a passion for equity, we have positively impacted over 25,000 children, fostering a unique sense of community and mentorship for more than 500 campers each year.
Originally called Cambridge Country Week, we began in 1893 by placing children in country boarding houses. By 1898, we were serving over 100 children each summer, collaborating with local organizations like the YWCA and Margaret Fuller House. To put this timeline into perspective, in 1893, while we were transporting families to the countryside by trolley, the first gas-powered automobile was being invented, and penicillin had not yet been discovered!
In 1969, we launched Cambridge Adventure Day Camp to serve urban children and address racial and economic tensions. Recognizing the need for specialized support, we introduced Daybreak Day Camp in 1989 for children with social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
In 2018, we expanded our offerings to include year-round programming, such as workforce development for teens, school vacation camps, and Saturday camps, further enhancing our commitment to community support.
Camp is vital for child development, providing essential opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and skill-building outside the classroom. Research shows that these experiences enhance confidence, resilience, and social skills, fostering positive relationships with peers and mentors.
While we have evolved to meet the changing needs of our families and community, we remain committed to our founding mission, driven by the same passion for equality and social justice that sparked our journey over a century ago.
Core Values
Our core values are the heartbeat, ideals, and principles of the organization. They guide decision-making, actions, and behaviors by serving as a “north star” for our Board of Directors, staff and partners. In our efforts to uphold these values we are accountable to the children, families and communities we serve.
Compassion: We treat all people with dignity and respect.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: We include individuals and communities who have been historically excluded, while working to combat structural forces that have harmed some groups while benefiting others.
Transparency: We trust each other to be truthful, honest and open.
Teamwork: We support each other so together we succeed in meeting our goals.
Innovation: We embrace continuous improvement, bold creativity, and the free exchange of ideas.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
At CCA the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are embodied in our work to: engage with children, families and the broader community; develop programming; hire and train staff; allocate resources; and recruit Board members.
Since 1893, and born out of a desire to address inequity, Cambridge Camping's mission has been to make out-of-school and summer programming accessible to Cambridge-area youth and families. We have never departed from the fundamental tenets of our founding mission.
Through friendship, play, and exploration, CCA offers all campers validation, inspiration and opportunity. Campers with diverse backgrounds and identities are welcome here. We extend DEIB principles to children with special needs, the LGBTQIA+ community and those affected by trauma and disability.