Beacon Community Centers

Beacons are community centers that serve the whole family, including youth (kindergarten through age 21), adults and seniors. We offer a variety of services and activities to enhance community engagement and healthy living. Located in public schools, Beacon Centers operate year-round during non school hours, on weekdays, weekends and in the summer representing a Citywide collaboration between DYCD and the New York City Department of Education.  Our Beacon centers transform their host school into a resource for the whole community by offering an integrated range of programming tailored to local needs. Among the highlights of our program offerings at out Beacons are Archery, Fencing, STEM programs, Learn to Swim, Bike NYC and an array of the arts, extracurricular health and fitness activities.

All of CAMBA’s Beacon Centers partner across locations on educational and recreational trips and excursions through our CAMBA experiential learning program. Additionally, our Beacon programs are winners of city wide competitions such as: Step It Up Dance Competition, Nike Zoom Basketball League, and the Soccer for Success program. We are proud to have been recognized in the news for innovative and engaging programming.

All of CAMBA’s Beacon Centers offer Teen ACTION programs, which seek to cultivate an ethic of service, develop life skills and critical thinking skills, develop leadership skills and promote commitment to academic achievement through a chance to engage in structured learning, service projects and reflection. Three Beacon Centers provide middle and high school students with mentoring services and youth leadership opportunities through the Young Men’s Initiative (YMI). 72 young people are connected to mentors in their communities that help them navigate school, internships, look for summer jobs, and empower them to reach their full potential.

Each Beacon serves as a hub for youth, adults and families to access integrated and comprehensive services. Service categories include academic enhancement, after school programs and summer camps, career awareness/school-to-work transition, civic engagement/community building, community events, culture and arts, life skills, and recreation/health and fitness. Specific service offerings are tailored to the needs of each school site and the surrounding community.

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