Summer Day Camps
City Gate's vision
Our mission includes making summer fun and enrichment experiences available to all children in our city, and we try to make sure no family is prevented from participating in our programs because of cost. Part of fulfilling this vision is offering programs in underserved neighborhoods in Southeast and Northwest D.C. Funding from the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation for these programs will allow us to provide full scholarships to many campers.
Summer 2008
With our partner organizations, this year we have summer camps in three locations as well as a Summer Youth Service Corps for teens age 16-18 through the DOES Passport-to-Work program. From field trips to a focus on faith and values, from academic enrichment to developing relationship skills, summer is devoted to expanding horizons and developing positive attitudes and behavior.
- Atlantic Gardens/Southern Hills Summer Day Camp (Washington Highlands, SE DC)
- National Baptist Memorial Summer Day Camp (Columbia Heights, NW DC)
- Wisconsin Avenue Summer Day Camp (Tenleytown, NW DC)
Scholarships
Full scholarships to City Gate out-of-school time programs, including after-school and summer day camp programs, are available on a first-come first-served basis to children and youth in households that qualify for free or reduced cost school meals. In some cases, City Gate may offer partial scholarships to families of children and youth wishing to participate in out-of-school programs but do not qualify for a full scholarship. For more information including how to apply for a scholarship, please see our Out-of-School Time Programs Scholarship Eligibility Guidelines .
History of City Gate Summer Camp
Our Summer Day Camps have grown from a program for 50 children at a single site to multiple sites throughout the city, with nearly 300 children registering for camp in 2007. During any given week during recent summers you would find an average attendance of nearly 150 children. In 2003 - 2006, camps were held at the Johenning Center, various locations in Southwest DC, and at Wisconsin Avenue Baptist in upper Northwest. The Wisconsin Avenue program included preschoolers and had an international flavor. The SW DC camp had both a children and teen program, in partnership with a local family strengthening collaborative. The Johenning camp had the largest participation, with most children coming from the surrounding neighborhood. With our move from the Johenning Center in 2007, we started two new program locations: Atlantic Gardens/Southern Hills apartments in SE DC (just 8 blocks from the Johenning Center) and National Baptist Memorial Church (in the NW DC neighborhood of Columbia Heights).
A diverse, interracial group of about 25 summer staff consisting of neighborhood adults and high school, college, and graduate students representing a dozen different states (some from as far away as Texas and Oregon) give campers a level of dedication and care that makes a real difference in their lives. We also provide work experience for over a dozen local teenagers in the DC Summer Youth Employment program. Urban HANDS mission groups from around the country also participate in our camps. Each year they bring music, great crafts, sports clinics, Vacation Bible School lessons, and varied special events.