Boston’s Crossroads camp builds confidence through nature

THE WATER. A BIG PART OF SUMMER BUT NOT AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. YOU’RE GROWING, SHAUN FOR HUNDREDS OF BOSTON AREA, INNER CITY, SECOND TO EIGHTH GRADERS. ACCESS COMES FROM THE NONPROFIT CROSSROADS. CROSSROADS IS A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION THAT IS DESIGNED TO HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND AND ENACT THEIR POTENTIAL IN THE WORLD BY CONNECTING WITH THEM IN NATURAL OUTDOOR SPACES AND GETTING THEM OUT OF THE CITY. THEY COME TO CAMP WING IN DUXBURY FOR ONE OR SEVERAL TWO WEEK STAYS IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. REGGIE JUDY CAME AS A CAMPER, BUT BECAME A COUNSELOR AND IS today ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM. WHEN I WAS A CAMPER, I WAS VERY SHY. I WAS NOT OUTGOING. I REALLY DIDN’T SPEAK, AND I THINK BEING LIKE PUSHED OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE AND THEN HAVING ADULTS WHO REALLY HAVE MY BACK HELPED ME GET OUT OF MY BUBBLE AND BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME FOR THE KIDS today IS A BLESSING. CAMPERS WERE GREETED WITH A TREAT THIS SUMMER. TWO BRAND NEW SWIMMING POOLS THANKS TO A SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING PROGRAM. NED PARSONS IS CROSSROADS CEO, SO SWIMMING HERE IS ESSENTIAL TO WHAT WE DO WITH KIDS BECAUSE A IT’S A LIFESAVING SKILL, OF COURSE, AND A LOT OF KIDS LIVING IN THE CITY DON’T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INTO POOLS AND TO TAKE SWIM LESSONS. BUT B IT’S ALSO A PLACE WHERE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNGER KIDS, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TANGIBLY SEE THEIR OWN GROWTH, PASSING RED CROSS SWIM TESTS AND EARNING A GREEN DEEP END WRISTBAND ARE BADGES OF HONOR AND ACCOMPLISHMENT STEPS. IN A SUMMER OF GROWTH. I LIKE GOING SWIMMING AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS HERE. WHEN I FIRST STARTED COMING HERE, IT WAS. I WAS A LITTLE SCARED. I WANTED TO GO HOME. I FELT A LITTLE HOMESICK, BUT AS I KEPT COMING HERE EACH YEAR, I FEEL LIKE IT’S NOT REALLY THAT. IT’S LIKE A BREEZE today, MAKING A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS. BEING IN THE POOL AND ALSO JUST HANGING OUT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT I DON’T KNOW. BUT EVENTUALLY BEING FRIENDS WITH THEM, FRIENDS MADE SKILLS LEARNED FOR CAMP DIRECTOR ELVIRA TEIXEIRA, IT IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING, COLLABORATION AND CONFIDENCE. SUCCESS CAN LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERY CHILD, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NO MATTER WHAT THEIR SUCCESS IS, THAT THEY’RE TAPPING INTO THAT WHEN THEY GO ON OUTSIDE OF THE WORLD, WHETHER IT’S SCHOOL, THEY CAN CONQUER THEIR FEARS OR WHATEVER CHALLENGES COME IN THEIR WAY. THERE IS ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP FROM track AND DANCE FILLED LUNCHES TO THE PEACEFULNESS OF FISHING AT THE POND AND THE CAMARADERIE OF COMMUNAL LIVING, THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERY CHILD. WHAT I LIKE AT CAMP IS THAT, LIKE, YOU CAN MAKE NEW FRIENDS. LIKE THERE’S FUN ACTIVITIES, LIKE SOME ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO HERE, BUT NOT AT HOME. THE STAFF HERE ARE NICE. I MAKE LOTS OF FRIENDS EASILY AND YOU CAN BE YOURSELF HERE. SUCCESS AND REWARDS. IN MANY FORMS. IT’S DEFINITELY BIGGER THAN MYSELF, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT ABOUT A PAYCHECK BEING HERE. IT’S JUST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO GIVE BACK. LIKE EVERYTHING THAT I WAS TAUGHT AND I WAS GIVEN. YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE THEIR WONDER EVERY DAY AND TO SEE THE AWE THAT THEY EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY COME ACROSS SOMETHING THEY’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. FANTASTIC. AND CROSSROADS IS MORE THAN JUST A SUMMER PROGRAM. COUNSELORS AND STAFF CHECK IN WITH THE CAMPERS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND SOME CAMPERS ACTUALLY GO BACK TO CAMP WING FOR WEEKEND VISITS DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR. WE SHOWED YOU THE OVERNIGHT PROGRAM. THERE’S ALSO A DAY PROGR

Boston’s Crossroads camp empowers inner-city youth through outdoor experiences

Crossroads, a nonprofit organization, provides Boston area inner-city youth with transformative outdoor experiences at Camp Wing in Duxbury, fostering personal growth and community.

Updated: 8:11 PM EDT Oct 2, 2025

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Hundreds of Boston-area students from second to eighth grade spend summers at Camp Wing in Duxbury through Crossroads, a nonprofit focused on youth development.”Crossroads is designed to help kids understand and enact their potential by connecting with them in natural outdoor spaces and getting them out of the city,” CEO Ned Parsons said.For Assistant Director Reggie Jeudy, the program is personal. Once a shy camper, he credits supportive mentors for helping him grow.”Being pushed out of my comfort zone and having adults who had my back helped me. To do the same for kids today is a blessing,” he said.This summer, campers enjoyed two new swimming pools funded by donations. Parsons noted swimming’s importance: “It’s a lifesaving skill, and many city kids don’t have access to lessons. It’s also where they can tangibly see their growth.”Campers echoed that growth. “I like going swimming and making new friends,” one said. Another shared, “At first I was homesick, but today it’s a breeze.” Others spoke of friendships forming through activities like fishing, track, and games. “The staff are nice, I make lots of friends easily, and you can be yourself here,” one camper said.Camp Director Elvira Texeira says success looks different for every child.”We want kids to tap into their own version of success so they can conquer fears and challenges when they return to the world outside camp,” Texeira said.For Jeudy, the mission is clear: “It is not about a paycheck—it’s about giving back everything I was taught.”Parsons added, “You get to experience their wonder every day, and the awe they feel when they encounter something new.”

DUXBURY, Mass. —

Hundreds of Boston-area students from second to eighth grade spend summers at Camp Wing in Duxbury through Crossroads, a nonprofit focused on youth development.

“Crossroads is designed to help kids understand and enact their potential by connecting with them in natural outdoor spaces and getting them out of the city,” CEO Ned Parsons said.

For Assistant Director Reggie Jeudy, the program is personal. Once a shy camper, he credits supportive mentors for helping him grow.

“Being pushed out of my comfort zone and having adults who had my back helped me. To do the same for kids today is a blessing,” he said.

This summer, campers enjoyed two new swimming pools funded by donations. Parsons noted swimming’s importance: “It’s a lifesaving skill, and many city kids don’t have access to lessons. It’s also where they can tangibly see their growth.”

Campers echoed that growth. “I like going swimming and making new friends,” one said. Another shared, “At first I was homesick, but today it’s a breeze.” Others spoke of friendships forming through activities like fishing, track, and games. “The staff are nice, I make lots of friends easily, and you can be yourself here,” one camper said.

Camp Director Elvira Texeira says success looks different for every child.

“We want kids to tap into their own version of success so they can conquer fears and challenges when they return to the world outside camp,” Texeira said.

For Jeudy, the mission is clear: “It is not about a paycheck—it’s about giving back everything I was taught.”

Parsons added, “You get to experience their wonder every day, and the awe they feel when they encounter something new.”