Summer Programs Occupy PBHers

Some say charity is the gift that keeps on giving.

This summer, Philips Brooks House (PBH) is taking that maxim to a new level.

Indeed, the public service group is allowing Harvard students to keep on giving throughout the summer by sponsoring 12 public service programs in the Cambridge community and beyond.

The programs range from the Small Claims Advisory Service, which dispenses free legal advice to low-income individuals, to the Summer Homeless program, which operates a transitional shelter for the homeless in Porter Square.

PBH is also sponsoring a number of camps for children in both Cambridge and Boston.

With more than 100 students as staff members and more than 400 participants, PBH has created, in the words of Anita Price '95, "a classroom without walls."

Most of the camp programs are based on a common model. The morning provides academic enrichment in the form of creative writing instruction, civics and/or peace games.

But recreation is the focus in the afternoon, when the camps sponsor field trips to area beaches and amusement parks.

Of course, some afternoon destinations, such as the African-American History Museum and the Boston Science Museum, reinforce ideas developed in the morning.

One example is the Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program. This eight-week day camp concentrates on academic skill improvement and features workshops in creative writing, dance and gymnastics.

Some programs aim to break down racial and ethnic barriers. Inner-City Outreach summer integrates youths from the Franklin Field and Franklin Hill housing projects, with the hope of ending the community's racial--and gang-oriented--factionalism.

The programs are unique in that the staff members actually reside in the communities they serve.

Andrew J. Ehrlich '96, one of the directors of the Dearborn Program, said the common locations contribute to a more positive experience.

"The counselors have a chance to get to know the families and that allows for a better connection," Ehrlich said.

New this year, the Dearborn Program is designed to offer juvenile offenders a camp experience.

The ultimate hope, Ehrlich said, is to instill a sense of community and responsibility in the youths.

This year's 12 participants are from the Dearborn School in Roxbury and have been assigned to a basic classroom there.