Mission
The
mission of the Agenda for Children is to convene, catalyze and support
the youth serving community in Cambridge for the shared purpose of
increasing equity, access and innovation and sustaining the highest
quality out of school time opportunities and experiences for all
children, youth, and families.
Beliefs
All
young people have the desire and capacity to succeed and contribute to
their communities if provided with access to appropriate resources and
supports.- Young people and families are better served when the systems and institutions that support them are aligned and connected.
- For all young people to succeed barriers to equity and access need to be directly addressed.
- Opportunities and experiences for youth are enhanced when people
across different levels of power and perspectives learn together, design
together, and build mutually beneficial partnerships.
- All people have the capacity for change and growth. When adults who
work with youth are provided with opportunities for continuous learning,
clear expectations and accountability there is a positive impact on
opportunities and experiences for youth.
- Cultural competence and respect for diversity are essential to our work and success.
- Our work is guided by data, research and best practices, all of
which are necessary to raise awareness about how success is possible for
all young people and to advance the growth of the OST field.
- Lasting change requires attention to systems while grounding our
work in the developmental needs and experiences of youth and children.
More Information
A Call for Strategic Collaboration (2007) -- Between The Cambridge
Out-of-School Time (OST) Community & The Cambridge Public Schools -
Developed by The Cambridge Agenda For Children
Shared Youth, Shared Strategies - Report (2009) -- What City Agencies,
Schools and Community Partners Can Do Together to Improve Cambridge
Middle School Youth Participation in Quality Out-of-School Time Programs
- A Strategic Plan of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Middle
School Youth
Shared Youth, Shared Strategies - 2 pager (2009) -- Summary/Overview of the
SYSS Report on Strategies to Support Cambridge Middle School Youth
The Innovation Agenda PowerPoint (2011) -- A Design for Excellence in the
Cambridge Public Schools
Innovation Agenda Appendix B-OST Programming (2011) -- A breakdown of the
importance of CPS schools and out-of-school time programs coordinating
their resources and strengths to meet the diverse needs of Cambridge
students and youth throughout the whole day and year -- and the
essential role of school-OST partnerships in achieving the goals and
vision of the IA.
IA Implementation Plan (2011) -- An document laying out the IA Theory of
Change, Strategic Objectives, Stakeholders, Communication Plan and the
use of Design Teams to develop recommended approaches to achieving these
objectives
IAOST Design Team Strategic Focus & Action Areas (2012) -- An
overview of strategic focus areas and recommended action steps,
developed by the Innovation Agenda OST Design Team, to ensure broad
participation of Cambridge middle grade youth in quality OST experiences
that foster both their present and future learning and life success
IA Design Team Strategic Area Status Updates (2013) -- Fall 2013 Updates
on CPS support, efforts, engagement and progress to support the
recommended focus areas and action steps of the IA OST Design Team
MSN Resource Guide (Summer 2014) -- This Resource Guide contains
many opportunities available to ALL Cambridge 6th – 8th graders, and is
compiled and published by the Cambridge Agenda for Children’s Middle
School Network (MSN)