Harvard hosts area kids for summer fun

It was a busy, fun, and educational summer for area kids (and grown-ups) participating in one of the many Harvard programs. Whether it was tennis camps for Boston and Cambridge youth, a picnic in Harvard Yard for Cambridge seniors, concerts on the Charles, or summer school for Cambridge high schoolers, summer learning and fun was a focus in the neighborhoods surrounding campus.

At a time when the region’s economy had taken its toll on programs funded by local government and small nonprofits, Harvard provided funding for a range of local nonprofits and offered summer activities for more than 800 Cambridge and Boston youth at 12 summer camps organized by Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA), an undergraduate group devoted to public service activities in nearby neighborhoods. For some local teens, Harvard offered them their first-ever job.