ESON, MSN, & RAY: September Kick Off Recap

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Network Kickoff event we co-hosted with RAY at the Moore Youth Center on 9/10/25. With over 70 people in the room (well, technically on the basketball court), we had the chance to connect, reflect on the impact of our work with young people and families, and ground ourselves in the shared values of ESON, MSN, and RAY.

The room was full of energy as longtime Network members and new faces came together. Through activities like Bingo and a life-size map of Cambridge, we learned more about each other and the many programs represented across the City. One of the more powerful moments was when participants tied their contact information to colorful strings, creating a visual of our interconnectedness as a Network.

We were thrilled to see the buzz and excitement as we kicked off the school and after school year and are looking forward to continuing our conversations at our next meeting on 10/1 at the Frisoli Youth Center. In case you missed the meeting, check out the community announcements below:

Community Announcements

Tyrique Kittrell (Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time) - Bridge Scholars is a tutoring and mentoring program led by CRLS students in its third year of serving the community; providing high school scholars the opportunity to support younger students across Cambridge. We are currently seeking program sites interested in hosting CRLS tutors. Does your program include homework time or free play? Would your students benefit from one-on-one or small-group tutoring, paired with the guidance of a mentor? If so, Bridge Scholars may be the perfect fit. If you’re interested, please complete this Bridge Scholars request form. For any questions, feel free to contact [email protected]

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Tagesech Wabeto (Cambridge Immigrant Commision) - The Civic Unity Committee is hosting a Community Connections event on September 19th, 4-6:30 pm. Also Danehy Park Family Day is coming up on Saturday, September 20th, 11am-3pm at Danehy Park (Rain Date: Sept. 27), [email protected] ​

Vanessa Fisher (Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time) - Let the Agenda team know if you want to recruit for your programs at the upcoming CPS back-to-school events (or email us program flyers so we can have them at our table at the events!). Also, ESON/MSN meetings are on the first Wednesday of the month, [email protected], [email protected] 

Jean Devine (Biodiversity Builders) - Our pollinator garden in Cambridge is available to tour, contact Jean for more information, [email protected] 

Jordan Harvey (Tutoring Plus) - Tutoring Plus has created and compiled Family Educational Resources to help families/caregivers be informed about their child's educational journey. Resources include understanding Aspen and ParentSquare, joining Parent Councils and Organizations, navigating school transitions, and more, [email protected] 

Emily St. Germain (Cambridge Public Library) - Puppetry Studio happening on Thursdays at main Library. Also, the HIVE can come out to your space to host workshops! [email protected] 

Jack O’Hearn (Community Art Center) - Next weekend CAC is taking over 1175 Cambridge St. as part of Cambridge Open studios, come visit! Flyer coming soon, [email protected] 

Latifah James (Cambridge Community Center) - CCC is hosting their “Roast in the Coast” block party on Saturday, September 20th at the CCC, including food, games, a DJ, and dancing! We are looking for volunteers if you are interested, [email protected] ​

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Carole Urbano (MIT Museum) - Cambridge Science Carnival is happening on Sunday, September 21, 12 - 4 PM, [email protected]

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