Intentionality can mean a couple of things: being intentional in program planning and being intentional in implementation of that program. We discuss the latter in the section on program delivery. Here we are referring to the purposeful decisions about allocating resources, hiring staff members, and deciding on programming to meet your vision and reach your goals. For example, if your program vision is “Every young person who wants to attend college can do so,” you would use this vision to help you make decisions about the programming you offer. You might offer field trips that allow young people to visit local colleges, or you might host workshops for family members on filling out college applications. When considering staffing, you might include work-study students from a local community college so that your participants can see positive role models and build relationships that break down some barriers to college attendance. Decisions of these sorts are guided by intentionally considering your vision versus basing decisions on simple logistics, such as “How are we going to fill two hours of programming?”

Another way to be intentional is to discuss your program’s goals, features, and outcomes with your advisory group and staff. As you craft your overarching program plan, you should engage your key stakeholders in a conversation about what you want to offer your participants, why you want to offer it, and how this will help them develop. The following seven questions might guide a planning session with your staff and advisory board: What is the overall purpose of our program? Does the purpose align with our program’s vision and goals? What skills will youth develop in our program? How do we want to recruit youth for our program? What outcomes do we want to achieve? How can we shape our program plan to help achieve these outcomes? How can our staffing structure help us to achieve our goals?

Use Tool 73: Intentional Activities to help maintain a focus on intentionality. The important thing to remember about program development is that it is cyclical. It changes as young people, communities, and schools change. As we mention in other sections, you will use your evaluation findings to drive ongoing program development efforts.

One key decision you will have to make is whether to offer a summer program. Summer programs provide unique opportunities that differ from school-year programs, including the ability to provide continuity for youth who participate in your program all year, more time for programming each day, a wider variety of possible activities, more time spent outdoors, availability of college and high school youth to work in your program, more opportunity for partnerships, and potential exposure to new experiences.

Summer programs can prevent summer learning loss and expand learning opportunities. Summer programs also can provide a safe, fun, and engaging place for young people who are not in school to spend time when their parents are working or otherwise engaged. Most importantly, summer programs offer more time for young people to build relationships, explore their interests, and be successful academically without the pressure of school year examinations and grades. Although a summer program has many benefits, developing and implementing a summer program requires additional planning, which can place a strain on funding and staffing and eat into reflection and planning time for the school year. For these reasons, think carefully about your capacity before committing to implementing a summer program.

When developing a summer program, consider a theme to overlay all your activities, such as science (e.g., dinosaurs, space, airplanes, rockets, or chemistry), literacy (in which youth read about areas around the world), or art history (e.g., museums or time periods). For older youth, themes that engage them in important issues, such as “protecting the environment” or “preserving our community,” can be particularly effective. You also should use quality instruction and support staff members with training and planning time. Begin planning for the summer program at least six months in advance and be sure to recruit an adequate number of well-trained staff members. A good ratio is 10:1. Take advantage of available college and high school students but make sure an experienced, well-trained senior staff member also is present for each activity. Ensure that your program offers a wide variety of activities, including enrichment activities (such as service learning, arts, or music) and plenty of time to be outside and active. (See Tool 42: Summer Program Schedule for a sample programming schedule.) Within your activities, be sure to mix up the groupings (individual, partner, and group). Get the school, families, and community involved by offering wraparound services, internships, and field trips. Ultimately, have high expectations for everyone involved and allow youth to have choices and a voice.

These tips just scratch the surface. The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is dedicated to helping summer programs develop strong, independent offerings that aren’t just an add-on to school-year programs but have goals and structures of their own. If you plan to offer a summer program, visit the NSLA website for more information and to order their guide on planning summer programs.