Girls' Programming

The Cambridge Girls in Sports (CGiS) coalition focuses on the following areas:

• Sharing best practices for girls and all youth who identify with girlhood
• Developing a deeper sense of community through citywide sports
• Improving equitable access
• Funding and Sustaining Enrollment
• Raising awareness of the health and social/emotional benefits of participation

Studies show benefits for girls who play sports. They are more likely to get better grades and have higher self-esteem and confidence. They also develop critical skills necessary for success in the workplace.  In Cambridge, playing sports enables girls to build more connections and friendships across the city.

In partnership with the Cambridge YMCA, the Women's Commission offers free, week-long summer camp opportunities for 4-9th graders to foster peer leadership and activism, learn assertive communication, and teach fun positive ways to identify and communicate healthy boundaries.

Gamechangers Camp is available to all Cambridge youth and is designed to connect campers with the citywide community and support citywide norms of respect for an individual's boundaries. The curriculum was developed by health experts and includes CRLS mentors, specialists, offering a variety of connected themes, and final project exhibitions to give campers the opportunity to share their learnings with the community.

History helps us to learn and understand who we are. Each time a girls opens a book, hears a story, or visits a museum with few to no recognizable faces or experiences, she is by definition taught that she is "less than". The dreams and aspirations of girls and young women are compromised when history does not tell the whole story. The Cambridge Women’s Heritage Project was established in 1996 to recognize and celebrate the historical contributions of Cambridge women and currently boasts more than 400 women and women’s organizations in its database. This phenomenal database captures the lives of well-known and not-so-well-known women who have made significant, lasting contributions to the city in the past and present. The website is dedicated to Cambridge women and women’s organizations, which are organized alphabetically as well as by topic (i.e., by a woman’s occupation or area of interest). Designed to be a work in progress and always seeking to add to its database, the Project encourages nominations.

The Commission's dynamic quarterly discussion series serves as Cambridge's vital hub for engaging feminist dialogue, featuring renowned local thought leaders who bring critical issues to life. This forum has showcased numerous trailblazers, including Tina Cassidy, author of the groundbreaking Birth; the visionary contributors to the 40th anniversary edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves; and Jaclyn Friedman, whose What You Really, Really Want revolutionizes conversations around female autonomy, sexuality, and safety. By creating this accessible space for community conversation, the Commission amplifies diverse voices, challenges conventional thinking, and advances equity through collective wisdom and serves as a catalyst for meaningful social progress that benefits all.

Continuing the collaborative spirit of the "Women in Cambridge" series, the Women's Entrepreneurship Network (WEN) fosters an atmosphere where both individuals and Cambridge’s collective economic ecosystem can thrive. WEN is a collaboration with the Community Development Department (CDD) and provides Cambridge residents and professionals with essential gathering spaces for women to forge meaningful professional connections. Through these authentic networking opportunities, WEN contributes to the economic vitality of small business owners in Cambridge. WEN strives to make each networking space welcoming by bringing together diverse women—from seasoned professionals to emerging entrepreneurs—representing various sectors, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. Women develop new collaborations, mentorship relationships, and trusted referral networks that support their growth. By intentionally hosting these quarterly events in women-owned establishments throughout Cambridge, WEN not only showcases these businesses but reinforces Cambridge’s commitment to building an inclusive local economy where diverse entrepreneurs can thrive.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. The date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, religious, and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. Simply put, International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. International Women's Day stands as a powerful testament to the global struggle for gender equality, a day that transcends borders, cultures, and individual differences to celebrate women's collective resilience and ongoing fight for justice. In the United States, where gender equity remains an unfinished revolution, this day takes on critical importance—reminding us that the fight for women's rights is far from complete.