Roxbury Youth Initiative
Summer camp run by college students offering seven weeks of low-cost academic and recreational programming for Roxbury youth from low-income families.
- Joining
- Application
About
A consolidation of what were formerly two separate camps – Academy Homes Summer Youth Enrichment Program (AHSYEP) and Dudley Youth Initiative (DYI) – RYI provides high-quality, low-cost educational and recreational summer programming to 60 youth from low-income families, primarily from public housing developments in Roxbury. AHSYEP began in 1980 in two housing developments, Academy Homes I and II, while the Dudley Youth Initiative grew out of the Dearborn Summer Program, which the Youth Advocacy Project (YAP) of the Roxbury Defenders Office started in 1993.
How to join
- Application — A written application, often followed by interviews.
What they do
- Directors oversee camp operations, train and supervise staff, and manage finances
- Senior counselors teach a classroom of children with a self-designed academic curriculum, and supervise field trips and community service projects
- High school junior counselors co-teach classes and take part in leadership workshops
- Develop and teach curriculum around social and political issues
- Tutoring and mentoring students
- Sunday brunch team meetings
- Hands-on enrichment activities and field trips
- After-school homework and academic help for youth
Mission, in their words
Provide high-quality, low-cost educational and recreational summer programming to youth from low-income families, primarily from public housing developments in Roxbury.
Sponsors & partners
PBHA Summer Urban Program · Phillips Brooks House Association
More links
- PBHA program pageHarvard directory
Sources
- PBHA articleHarvard page · seen Oct 29, 2026
- PBHA ProgramsHarvard page · seen Sep 30, 2026
- ryit articleOther website · seen Oct 29, 2026
- Roxbury Youth Initiative Term-TimeOther website · seen Oct 29, 2026
- Join RYIT! | ryitOther website · seen Oct 12, 2026
Similar clubs
Compare these →- PBHA's Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program
Summer camp run by college students offering academic enrichment, field trips, and workshops for low-income children at three Cambridge sites.
- PBHA's Chinatown Adventure
Seven-week summer camp offering academic enrichment, field trips, and workshops for low-income children ages six to 13 in Boston's Chinatown.
- PBHA: Cambridge Afterschool Program
After-school homework help and educational workshops for low-income youth ages 8-14 living at Cambridge's Fresh Pond Apartments.
- Southie After School (SAS)
Free arts-based after-school literacy program for low-income children ages six to 11 from South Boston public housing, run by student volunteers.