Search this site HOME ABOUT US OUR PROGRAMS GET INVOLVED NEWS & EVENTS BLOG CONTACT US DONATE NOW Home Our Programs AfterSchool Programs & Summer Camps StreetLeader Program CamdenForward School UrbanPromise Academy UrbanTrekkers Urban BoatWorks Wellness Get UP's Newsletter! Sign up for the UrbanPromise newsletter and receive updates about what's happening in Camden! Our Programs UrbanPromise Academy UrbanPromise Academy is a private, Christian high school that fulfills the needs of students who have not met their academic potential in traditional school settings and often enter two to three grade levels below national standards. Founded in 1997, the Academy offers Camden youth a unique schooling opportunity with a low teacher to student ratio, a family-style learning environment, an emphasis on community service, and experiential and expeditionary learning. In a city with graduation rates between 50% and 70%, UrbanPromise Academy sees an 87% graduation rate with 87% of graduates transitioning to college (78%) or a vocational training program (9%). Extracurricular opportunities include the school’s Elite Cycling Team, UrbanTrekkers, Urban BoatWorks, and Students In Action (SIA). Learn More» CamdenForward School CamdenForward School is a private, Christian elementary and middle school for kindergarten through eighth grade students. With a learning environment rich in love, hope, and structure, the school challenges students to attain high academic standards, learn necessary life skills, maintain personal integrity, and develop a Christian worldview. In 1997 CamdenForward School opened with only two grade levels: pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. UrbanPromise established an additional grade each year thereafter until all elementary and middle school (K-8) classes were available. The school serves 110+ students from the Camden area. Music, dance, visual arts, and unique extracurricular learning opportunities (such as Urban BoatWorks and SeaQuest) supplement CamdenForward School’s comprehensive academic curriculum. Learn More» AfterSchool Programs & Summer Camps AfterSchool Programs and Summer Camps were UrbanPromise’s first programs in the city of Camden. Since 1988 thousands of children have participated in activities that include arts and crafts, Bible study, recreation, life skills workshops, academic enrichment classes, and community service. During the academic year, approximately 200 children attend one of our AfterSchool Programs and around 400 participate in our six-week Summer Camps located in four city neighborhoods. Within a safe and stimulating environment, these programs provide opportunities for children to improve their academic performance, develop necessary life skills, create positive relationships with caring adults, explore the arts, and nurture their faith. Special academic-year activities and events include our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech Contest, Math Dare, Thanksgiving family dinners, and spring break trips. Summer favorites include weekly field trips (typically to a swimming pool or roller-skating rink), the Summer Carnival, and All Camp Day. Learn More» StreetLeader Program Through UrbanPromise’s StreetLeader Program, 100-125 Camden-area teens are employed each year as counselors, tutors, and mentors for the children who attend our AfterSchool Programs and Summer Camps. Many StreetLeader teens are AfterSchool Program graduates and return to work within our camps because they are passionate about mentoring the next generation of Camden youth. The heart of the StreetLeader Program is challenging teens to use their influence to make positive changes in the lives of these children, in their own lives, and throughout their communities. In addition to job training, StreetLeaders participate in community service; life skills classes; one-on-one tutoring; SAT/ACT courses; academic enrichment courses; and arts activities. Teens are encouraged to avoid negative influences and focus on their academic and professional future. The programs focus on achievement has led to a 100% graduation rate among StreetLeader seniors; 95% transition into college (89%) or to vocational training (6%). Learn More» UrbanTrekkers UrbanPromise’s expeditionary education program, UrbanTrekkers provides hands-on learning and journey-based experiences to around 100 youth each year. Through travel to places beyond their everyday lives, youth are motivated to learn more about themselves and the world around them and to develop their potential as young leaders. Each trip is focused around participants’ cross-cultural experiences, environmental awareness, historical knowledge, and community service. UrbanTrekkers offers four core expeditions each year: Maine in summer, Assateague Island in fall, Washington, DC in winter, and varying locations during the spring season. UrbanTrekkers' newest expedition is a two-week trek through five national parks in Colorado and Utah for twenty students from UrbanPromise Camden, Honduras, Wilmington, and Trenton. Youth also participate in one-day field trips and invitational excursions, including New Trekker Orientation, the Sedge Island Project, Outdoor Leadership Training, and a Rite of Passage extreme adventure. Learn More» Wellness at UrbanPromise UrbanPromise launched the Wellness Center to address health concerns associated with growing up in concentrated urban poverty. A joint venture with First Presbyterian Church, Haddonfield, the Center’s mission is to reduce the impact of toxic stress on our community, thus providing the opportunity for optimal well-being of body, mind and spirit. The Wellness Center trains UrbanPromise staff to recognize signs of trauma; offers counseling to youth, families and staff; promotes healthy habits and provides unique education programs encouraging creativity and wellbeing. Learn More» Eastern University Partnership Learn More» Urban BoatWorks In partnership with the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum, Urban BoatWorks teaches middle and high school youth how to build wooden paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks. Since the program’s first year in 2009, 47 boats have been handcrafted and launched on the water. BoatWorks' goals go beyond teaching the craft of wooden boat-building. Through working with BoatWorks instructors—nearly all of whom are volunteers—students also learn the skills they need to become productive, responsible adults and leaders among peers. During each build year, they take swimming lessons so that they are prepared to paddle their boats on the water during UrbanPromise’s summer paddling season. Learn More» CONTACT US Call: 856-661-1700 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1479 Camden, NJ 08105 ABOUT US Mission & History Financial Information Job Opportunities EMAIL US DONATE NOW Sponsor Our Youth Budget Reduction & Wish List GET INVOLVED Volunteer Internships WorkGroups SEE OUR IMAGE GALLERIES WATCH OUR VIDEOS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG ©2008 - 2021 UrbanPromise. All rights Reserved. Photo credits include: JPG Photography, Ashley Smith and Joseph Gidjunis.