ACA is celebrating 32 years offering exciting teen summer programs including Study Abroad, Pre–College Enrichment, Teen Tours, Career Exploration & Mentorship Programs, Surf & Sports Camps, Community Service & Adventure Programs, and Camp-On–Campus Middle School Programs. From our premier U.S. programs to our celebrated international experiences, we are certain you‘ll love the electives, activities, excursions, and friendships that make an ACA summer truly unforgettable! ACA highlights include freedom-of-choice activity options, dining-on-the-town meal plans, weekend adventures that are always included, and college credits. With safety as our top priority, we use private transportation only and upscale accommodations in safe locations. ACA offers the most well-rounded, personalized teen programs available anywhere, ensuring a rewarding and enriching experience like no other!
Phone: 773-342-0200
Instagram: @acasummer
BBYO is a global Jewish youth movement in 60+ countries, uniting 65,000+ teens. Dive into new experiences, friendships, and a fresh perspective . BBYO Passport summer programs combine elements of active touring, community service, and meaningful Jewish experiences. Spanning 20 countries, we offer over 30 different programs with a range of program themes for teens currently enrolled in grades 8–12.
Watch our BBYO Passport Hype video here!
BINA FARM CENTER
Our volunteers are crucial and without their hard work and dedication, our goals would not be achieved. Previous horse experience is not required, but is certainly helpful; monthly trainings are available for everyone to learn more about and be trained on our various volunteer roles. Below is information on our organization's particular needs and which opportunities are recommended for those who:
Are 14+ and able to work independently
Have experience with horses or working with children with special needs
Supporting our therapeutic riding program or occupational and physical therapy sessions utilizing horses could be a great match.
Have extensive barn and/or horse experience
Assisting our barn team with the care of our herd of horses could be a great match.
Brown Ledge camp
Brown Ledge is an ACA-accredited residential camp for girls ages 10-17 on Lake Champlain in Vermont. BLC is known for their ‘Freedom of Choice’ philosophy and supportive community that fosters independence and growth. They have a strong Horsemanship program for campers interested in learning to ride or improving their skills, along with 16 other activities including theatre, tennis, archery, boating, and swimming. Freedom of choice means activities run throughout each day, and campers may attend for as long as they want, when they want. Counselors provide quality instruction and guidance. The BLC philosophy offers unlimited opportunity for self-discovery, fun and learning. In addition, BLC operates a robust Junior Counselor leadership program. Over the course of two summers, JC's, ages 15-17, learn valuable teaching, teamwork, and management skills while participating in overnight trips, meaningful work, and flexibility to pursue mastery in activities of their choosing.
Cardigan’s Summer Session offers a vibrant mix of academic and extracurricular activities designed to inspire and engage students. Mornings are dedicated to hands-on, experiential learning across diverse subjects, including ceramics, forensics, creative writing, coding, and wilderness survival, along with traditional offerings like SSAT Prep and English as a second language. Wallach, our innovative makerspace, serves as a hub for design, engineering, and creative arts, preparing students for academic success beyond the summer. With a low student-faculty ratio, classes are personalized to meet individual needs. Afternoons and evenings feature activities such as mountain biking, hiking, paddle boarding, tennis, drama, and model rocketry, all set against the stunning New Hampshire mountains. Students entering 10th grade can participate in our Leadership Program, focusing on teamwork, goal-setting, and mentorship, as they guide younger peers. Many students return year after year to reconnect with friends and deepen their bond with this special community. Parents frequently share stories of their children’s growth, independence, and self-confidence upon returning home.
Watch our video here!
The Experiment in International Living
The Experiment in International Living offers personalized and small group immersive summer abroad programs for high school students, including internships with college credit. Programs are 3-4 weeks long during the month of July and focused on critical global themes, including:
Leadership Development
Cultural Discovery & the Arts
Language Training
Peace, Politics, & Human Rights, and
Sustainability & The Environment
We are the most experienced and respected provider of summer abroad, and we part of a global NGO, World Learning. Our participants make life long cross-cultural connections by traveling with a diverse group of peers and two group leaders. By living with a host family, our participants learn from locals, become part of a larger host community, and create lasting relationships. Need-based scholarships are available.
The Experiment also offers a fully funded (free!) virtual exchange program for high school students ages 14-19 in the U.S. and Middle East & North Africa (MENA) or Latin America regions that are only 2-4 hours per week this summer, The Experiment Digital: Leadership in STEM and The Experiment Digital: Climate Change & The Environment.
The food project
Are you curious about farming, community partnership, and social justice? Apply to be a part of the Food Project’s summer seed crew program and get paid to learn and dig into the work! This summer, we will recruit 84 high school students between the ages of 14 and 17 across racial, socio-economic, gender identity, and geographic differences to work on our urban and suburban farms in Boston and Lincoln. During this six-week program, you will work with staff to grow vegetables and distribute thousands of pounds of produce, while developing leadership, teamwork, workplace, and civic participation skills. After working on our farms each morning, Seed Crew spends most afternoons in workshops learning about sustainable agriculture, food access, social justice, and more. Seed Crew members will work approximately 32 hours per week, and will be paid per hour.
Contact: seedcrew@thefoodproject.org | 781-259-8621 ext 3.
Apply here!
Instagram: @the_food_project
Global Leadership Adventures
Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) is not just a travel program; it's a transformative experience that intentionally shapes the perspectives and open-mindedness of our teen participants. Our overarching goal is to inspire our student travelers to emerge as influential leaders and global thinkers, motivated to instigate positive change within their own communities upon their return home.
What sets GLA apart is our commitment to integrating community service, hands-on learning, and adventure into every facet of our programs, instilling a profound sense of purpose in student travel. Engage in impactful, community-led volunteer efforts that directly serve the communities you visit. Immerse yourself in the culture, language, and history of your host destination, exploring significant sites along the way. Embark on thrilling adventure excursions, from zip lining through jungle canopies to snorkeling in pristine coral reefs and trekking to the iconic Machu Picchu.
The Global Leadership Academy is a transformative summer leadership program for youth, helping teens from around the world to gain the confidence, leadership skills, and global perspective they need to lead change within themselves and their community. Using an award-winning experience-based learning approach and with two unique locations to choose from (Canada and the UK), youth ages 12-18 are actively engaged in learning through games, challenges, activities, excursions, discussions, and reflections that will take them out of their comfort zone, help them gain new skills, and learn more about themselves and their unique skills and passions.
Watch our video here
As a family-run organization since 1951, we offer experiential programs for middle and high school students in 30+ countries with the following areas of focus:
· Service – Meaningful connections with people of different cultures through service projects
· Exploration – Immersion and adventure in the landscapes and cultures of a place
· Language – Spanish and French language immersion abroad
· Career – Hands-on experiences to inspire and inform future career paths
· Pre-College – Field-based programs at home and abroad with college-style seminars
In addition to our educational travel programs, Putney collaborates with some of the world’s most esteemed universities and institutions to create specially designed programs for students interested in history, conservation, and culture; climate, equity, and public health; business, the arts, and more. Our collaborations include Oxford Academia, Harvard Chan C-Change Youth Summit, Columbia Climate School and Smithsonian Student Travel.
Need-based scholarships are available for Putney Student Travel, Harvard Chan C-CHANGE Youth Summit, and Oxford Academia programs (in Oxford, Paris, and Yale).
Rein Teen Tours
Rein Teen Tours offers activity-oriented travel programs for teenagers between 13 and 17 years of age. Trips range in length from 2 to 6 weeks with travel throughout the Continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Western & Eastern Europe & Iceland, Greece, and Costa Rica.
Rein Community Service offers 2–4 week volunteer programs in exciting locations such as Hawaii,California, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Tour & Service (a hybrid western teen tour program and community service program with exciting activities).
Repair the World's Teen Summer Service Corps
Repair the World's Teen Summer Service Corps is a three-week service, learning, and leadership program for rising 8th-12th graders around the Greater Boston area. Each week, teens will spend time directly with a local non-profit (Community Servings, Groundworks Sommerville, and Hebrew Senior Life), gaining hands-on experience and knowledge of the service organization. The second half of the day is crafted around exploring the intersection of three key areas of justice, from a historical and Jewish lens.
Our session runs from July 22nd-August 9th. Sign up before June 15th for an early bird sliding scale price of $250-$375. We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of this program, so please reach out to us if cost may be a barrier for you.
If you have any questions, you can join our upcoming info sessions on June 4th or June 25th at 6:30pm on Zoom.
Find out more about our program or register for our info sessions here.
Sail Caribbean
Sail Caribbean is a teen adventure camp for ages 11-18. They offer programs ranging from 2 to 3 weeks that are centered around sailing, scuba diving, marine biology, community service, and watersports. Based in the British Virgin Islands, campers will get the experience of a lifetime living on 45–50-foot catamarans, sailing to new islands every day, and being surrounded by exquisite and unique environments. Campers will gain personal development skills like leadership and independence while facing challenges alongside their crew mates. Sail Caribbean offers teens the opportunity to get scuba and sailing certifications, learn how to care for the environment, and have the summer of their lives!
Email: info@sailcaribbean.com
Phone: (800) 321-0994
Join us this summer in Honduras and discover your ability to drive change! On our high school service trips, you will build a school, experience a new culture, form lasting relationships, and transform lives. Over 1,100 high school students have traveled with School the World, and 40% have returned on yet another adventure because they had such a great experience! Travel with us this summer from July 15th-July 22nd, or July 29th-August 5th to become a World Changer yourself.
Contact: info@schooltheworld.org
Instagram: @schooltheworld
We are so excited to announce that the Teen Just-Us application is now open for Summer 2024. Teen JUST-US is a six-week paid summer social justice experience for teens in the greater Boston area. It includes a three-day-per-week paid internship at a local not-for-profit. The participants support the organization and work on a social justice project. They spend the other two days as a cohort learning about social justice/tikkun olam from a Jewish perspective, building community, and engaging in field trips and service projects. This program was previously run by the incredible Amy Tananbaum who had to step away for health reasons, so now the program will be run through the Temple Israel of Boston teen program with Amy's guidance.
Current high school sophomores or juniors can apply. They must be able to access public transportation (Red, Green, Orange, Blue, or Commuter Rail) as our cohort days are at Temple Israel of Boston and all of the internship sites are on the T. There are no costs to the program and the teens receive a $1,000 stipend at the conclusion of the summer. The program dates for this coming summer are Monday, June 24th - Friday, August 2nd. Teens can identify the social justice areas that are most important to them, and we do our best to match them with internships in those areas. Application will be due by mid-March and there will be an interview to follow. More information and the application can be found at the Learn More button below. In addition, there is a video about the program on the page. For more information, reach out to Fallon Rubin, Program Director at frubin@tisrael.org.
No previous Jewish knowledge or experience required, just an interest to learn more and engage in social justice with peers.
UNAGB
The United Nations Association of Greater Boston’s Summer Institutes in Global Leadership offer week-long programs where students learn about global issues, build skills for life and leadership, and collaborate with students from across the world using Model UN as a vehicle for experiential learning.
Throughout each week, students will:
Learn about the week’s thematic topic from our stellar staff and internsParticipate in public speaking and negotiation activitiesMeet expert guest speakersPractice working collaboratively on complex global issuesStep into the role of a diplomat during Model UN simulations
Our weekly thematic topics for Summer 2024 will be:
When: Week-long programs in June, July, and August. Students are encouraged to attend multiple weeks! (Visit our website to view the specific dates by program topic) Programs run 9am-3pm ET (this is a day program only).
Questions: Please contact us! Call 617-209-9877 or email info@unagb.org
West End House Camp is an overnight summer camp for boys, ages 7-15, which began in 1908. We are located about two hours outside of Boston in the town of Parsonsfield, Maine, which is equidistant from Portland, Ogunquit, and Conway, NH. West End House Camp is on pristine Long Pond and has a stunning 5,000 feet of lakefront property.
West End House Camp offers 3, 4, and 7 week-long sessions, first-class facilities, activities, and lifelong friendships. As a non-profit, we are able to sustain our top-notch experience, while maintaining modest rates, due to our parent relationships and the generous support of our alumni and community partners.
Watch our video here!