Summer Programs

Camp Kesem at Yale was founded in 2013 to support children and youth in Connecticut whose families have been affected by a cancer diagnosis. Kesem's mission is to support children through and beyond a parent's cancer. Run by about 45 student volunteers, Camp Kesem works to provide year-round support and a week-long free summer camp to over 100 children ages 6-18. Camp Kesem at Yale also provides support throughout the year with constant communication, care packages, reunion days, and other support networks.

Discovery to Cure exposes students to laboratory research and promotes interest in science and medicine. Rising high school seniors spend six weeks working in a laboratory with a research scientist utilizing research techniques such as gel electrophoresis, RTPCR, and electron microscopy.

Pathways Summer Scholars is a free two-week summer arts and humanities-focused program for local high school students. Each summer, Yale faculty, graduate students, and staff come together to create a program designed to share Yale's rich resources with New Haven students. Students take a variety of workshops where they examine the vast resources of the Beinecke, discover art and sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery, explore the world of comics at the Yale Center for British Art, learn professional photographic techniques, practice graphic design, study ancient languages, and more.

Shafer Scholars are New Haven high school juniors nominated by their high school guidance counselors to enroll in a five-week Yale Summer Session program in the summer between their junior and senior years. A scholarship from the Shafer family of New Haven provides full tuition for two courses, room and board, a book allowance, and a stipend for each student. Students take Yale College courses in the company of college students and are able to earn college credits. Shafer Scholars live on campus in one of Yale’s residential colleges for the duration of their program and have the opportunity to participate in co-curricular, recreational, and social programs with students from other high schools and colleges from across the country.

The Summer Teacher Institute offers practicing teachers an enriched understanding of how visual art can support their students’ reading, writing, and thinking. Workshops, discussions, and lectures by university faculty and museum educators demonstrate how “visual text” can be used to enhance literacy instruction. Institute sessions include hands-on experience with works of art and exploring ways to make the museum an extension of the classroom. Participants are given the tools they need to lead dynamic museum visits and to incorporate visual arts into classroom instruction.

Run by members of the Yale Daily News, the Summer Journalism Program is a three-day intensive course in journalism for high school students. Students participate in workshops on the fundamentals of reporting and writing, attend lectures by guest speakers from major national publications, and create a full summer edition of the Yale Daily News by the end of the week. The program is open to all high school students and is free for New Haven Public School students.

Offered by the Urban Debate League, the weeklong Yale Summer Debate Program is open to all New Haven high school students, regardless of debate experience. During the program, students develop their skills in public speaking, constructing arguments, and delivering rebuttals. The program is premised on the philosophy that students can use debate as a tool to critically engage with the world around them, helping them to become better debaters and students and more active members of society.

Established in 1994, the President's Public Service Fellowship (PPSF) provides full funding for up to 35 Yale students to work full-time with public sector and nonprofit organizations in New Haven each summer. PPSF has created a legacy of current Yale students and recent graduates who have a sophisticated view of community development and remain active in community building in New Haven and other cities. To date, more than 950 Yale undergraduate, graduate, and professional-school students have contributed more than 400,000 hours of community service to local organizations serving New Haven residents through this program.