Many students need to work during the summer and school year, but also need academic support. Instead of making students choose between one or the other, the PIC combines work and learning opportunities so students have the chance to earn money while improving their academics.

Summer Learning Project

The PIC has collaborated with the Boston Public Schools and Boston After School & Beyond to deliver our Summer Learning Project since 2010.

Through a unique combination of meaningful employment, dual-enrollment courses, and wrap-around socio-emotional workshops, the Summer Learning Project helps high school students envision themselves on a college campus and in a professional workplace. As part of the program, students enroll in one of three dual-enrollment classes at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, work at a local community-based organization, and participate in positive youth development workshops at the Freedom House.

Teen Leadership Institute

Through the Teen Leadership Institute, started in 2013 by the PIC, the Summer Fund, and Hale Reservation, and supported by Bank of America, students improve their job preparedness skills in order to become effective camp counselors. The Teen Leadership Institute provides students with the tools and training to help them achieve success in a summer job and beyond.

For more information, please contact Jonathan Rosenthal, School-to-Career Assistant Director, at [email protected] or 617-488-1384.

School Vacation Week Virtual Bootcamps

In 2021, the PIC and its partners organized skill-building vacation-week bootcamps for Boston Public Schools high school students. Over their February and April vacations, more than a hundred students participated in seven 3- and 4-day virtual courses.

The PIC's partners stepped up to provide exciting courses that would engage students while building skills. The bootcamps provided students with an opportunity to build new skills and learn from and network with industry professionals. In addition, students received a stipend for participating and priority access to summer jobs and internships.