Summer Fund: Supporting Youth Mental Health in Summer Programs
Summer offers young people vital opportunities for connection, growth, and healing. Camp and enrichment programs are increasingly essential partners in supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of participants and their families. Through its Mental Health Grant Program, the Summer Fund is investing in practical, community-informed approaches that help summer providers respond to evolving youth needs.
This session will highlight lessons emerging from that work, bringing together program leaders and a clinical practitioner to share strategies, tools, and real-world insights that strengthen supportive environments for youth and staff alike.
The program will include:
• A brief overview of the Summer Fund’s Mental Health Grant Program and key learnings to date
• A panel conversation with program partners sharing practical approaches to supporting youth mental and behavioral health
• Insights from a practicing clinician on effective, developmentally grounded interventions and supports
Participants will also engage in peer discussion to explore common challenges and promising practices — such as hiring clinical staff, integrating social-emotional learning, and supporting staff wellbeing — while identifying actionable strategies for the upcoming summer season.
Summer Fund Partner Panelists
• Andrea Howard Chief Executive Officer West End House
• Laurie Palagyi, Executive Director of West End House Girls Camp
• Marina Brhane, Youth Support Co-Coordinator of The City School
Clinician Panelist
Kwame Dance, Psy.D. – clinical psychology, founder of Mental Health ACCESS, and adjunct clinical faculty at William James College, working with Cambridge Community Center and Freedom House
Please note: This program is open to organizations invited
to participate in the 2026 grant cycle.