Shakti Rovner, a mother of youth enrolled at the Cambridge Community Center, shares her perspective on the value of family nights at CCC. Family nights provide an invaluable opportunity for families to simply be together, she explains: "Maybe kids that have parents that work so hard, it's just that one hour that they spend with their mother or father just to sit and do something fun. And for the parent it's like, let me come and do an activity. My child will remember that I spent time with them."

Darrin Korte, executive director of The Cambridge Community Center, explains how family engagement at CCC  is about families taking ownership of the center, an idea that has deep roots in the center's history.
 

To support you in using these resources with your staff, download our UPDATED Facilitator's Guide here!

Guiding Questions

• How does Cambridge Community Center's approach to strengthening family life lead to meaningful family engagement?
• Why is this important in the life of a young person?
• What would it take for your program to create casual community owned space for families to be together?

Our Takeaway

• When you genuinely care about about a young person, you can see why it matters to provide opportunities for quality time between them and their family.