The DCR Summer Nights program was launched in 2015 to provide targeted urban young people aged 13-21 in urban areas with the opportunity to join in on recreational and educational activities during evening hours. Recognizing the tremendous success of this program, and the safe, inclusive, and fun events it provides for young people, it has been significantly expanded over the past ten years as has its reach.
This summer, DCR is celebrating 10 years of the Summer Nights program and partnering with 100 organizations to provide recreational programming to urban youth at approximately 125 locations statewide including Attleboro, Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale, Hyde Park, East Boston, South Boston), Bridgewater, Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, East Hampton, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lowell, Lawrence, Lynn, Methuen, Milton, New Bedford, Norwood, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Stoughton, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield and Worcester.
The Summer Nights Program will run through August 20, and offers activities such as basketball skills, drills and tournaments; volleyball, yoga, dance, martial arts, flag football, corn-hole, fishing, ping-pong, cardio boxing, swimming, camping, rowing, kayaking, cooking, painting, zumba, dodgeball, tennis and nature exploration. Programming also includes sessions on leadership skill building, health and wellness, poetry, academic tutoring, storytelling, animation, music, media production, and career and college readiness programs. Additionally, three providers will provide accessible and adaptive programs including theater, swimming and kayaking. The program also offers free ferry passes for Summer Nights participants and their families to the Boston Harbor Islands through Boston Harbor Now. For a full list of programming, please see below.
For more information about the DCR Summer Nights Program or to learn how to apply for funding please email Julie.Martin@mass.gov.
