Each school day, over 1,300 Cambridge middle school youth leave schools in the early afternoon. These same youth end school in late June, not returning to classrooms until September. What they do every day after school and over the summer months may have dramatic, lasting impacts on their school and life success. Mounting research suggests that middle school youth who engage in quality out-of-schooltime (OST) activities perform better academically, demonstrate greater social and emotional competency, engage less in risk behaviors, and engage more in sports and exercise in comparison to youth who do not participate in OST activities. In very real terms, OST activities greatly enhance the well-being of middle school youth, offering a range of experiences that can foster both their present and future life success. Therefore, it is of great concern that only one-third of Cambridge middle school youth regularly participate in OST programs and activities.

To address this concern, the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Middle School Youth—chaired by School Committee member Nancy Tauber and Vice Mayor Sam Seidel—comprised of school department staff, human service providers, elected officials and families—completed a strategic planning process over the winter and spring of 2009. This process began with a comprehensive environmental scan to develop a full picture of Cambridge middle school youth—e.g. demographic characteristics, unique learning and developmental challenges, and available city resources. The results of this scan are summarized in the Key Findings section of this report. Based on these findings, the Commission developed the Shared Youth, Shared Strategies plan that seeks to unite city agencies, schools and community partners to greatly enhance OST opportunities for middle school youth and families across the city.

A Citywide Goal
The Shared Youth, Shared Strategies plan begins with and builds from a single citywide strategic goal:

To ensure broad participation of Cambridge middle school youth in quality out-of-school-time experiences that foster both their present and future learning and life success.

Core Objectives
To achieve this goal, the plan calls on city agencies, schools and community partners to collaborate to pursue the following core objectives:

1. To increase enrollment of middle school youth in out-of-school time programs

2. To enhance the quality of out-of school time programs

3. To foster youth connection to community by bringing together youth and caring adults from across neighborhoods, schools, cultural/ethnic backgrounds and professional communities