All kids deserve the chance to make their dreams real.
Since 1999 Camp Old Navy has offered youth the education and real-life
experiences they need to turn dreams into achievable goals.

THIS WAY AHEAD

BIGS

Our store internship program, This Way Ahead, gives teens and young adults the life-changing experience of a first job.

BRAIN GAIN

MIDDLES

Kids spend the summer learning, exploring and getting ready for the next school year at their local Boys & Girls Clubs.

KIDS SAFETY

LITTLES

Families and little kids learn how to stay safe through fun store events with police officers, fire-fighters and local heros.

Do you remember your first job? Learning the ropes, getting a paycheck, and having real responsibilities set you up for future jobs - and life. We created This Way Ahead to help teens and young adults get a foot in the door for that life-changing first job experience.

I'll never forget my first day as an intern at Old Navy — I'd never worked in retail or had a paid job before, and I didn't know what to expect. But it wound up going by so fast. I was a "greeter" at the front of the store, which worked out great because I'm a big people person. The rest of the team really makes you feel at home — and I definitely wanted to stay on after my internship ended and become a regular store associate. After high school I want to go to college and keep working at Old Navy too. And then I want to become a nurse because I love helping people. My internship made me more confident about being myself.

We Started This Way Ahead in 2007 to give teens and young adults the chance to experience a first job. Here's how it works: participants receive job skills training at local nonprofits. Then, they are hired on as paid interns at our stores. For so many teens and young adults getting a job is tough. This Way Ahead sets them up for success to land that job and get the real-life experience they need to go after their dreams, whatever they may be.

Studies show that being unemployed when a person is young can lead to a less successful future: earnings could be reduced by 20% for up to two decades.

After completing their store experience, 75% of This Way Ahead interns say they have a greater belief in themselves and their ability to get their next job.

We expect that at least 10,000 teens and young adults will participate in This Way Ahead across 12 cities in the U.S., Canada and the UK by 2020.

My family always had big dreams. I was born in the Philippines but my life totally changed when I was 13 and moved to the U.S. with my mom and two brothers. We wanted to be with my grandparents, who moved here before us, and we wanted a better life. We had some hard times and needed to learn English. But I always wanted to succeed, not just for me, but also for my family. I heard about This Way Ahead at school and eventually got a job at Old Navy — but it's really more than a job. I've met lots of different kinds of people, and I'm better at solving problems. I feel like it's made me a much stronger person. The next step for me is going to college. I'm working really hard but it's amazing — it's an adventure.

Ma'Lani has a smile that takes over her face, and she's not one to sit still for too long. She loves huddling with her friends, playing foosball and doing art projects. "Where's the glitter?" she'll ask as she pores over her newest creation. She's also one of the first to help when it's time to clean up, happily putting things back in their place. Ma'Lani's active at home too, coming from a big family of five boys and five girls in San Francisco. At school she's in a Japanese immersion program and eagerly shares the words she's learning. Ma'Lani gets very focused on whatever she's doing — and as one staff member at the Don Fisher Clubhouse puts it, she seems happiest when she's doing as much as she possibly can.

Each summer in America kids jump for joy at the sound of the final bell as they race to celebrate the freedom from classes, tests and homework. Summer vacation is a welcome break from the stressful school year for parents and children alike. Still, in between popscilces and lazy summer days, it's critical for kids to keep up the skills they learned in the past year and prepare for the year ahead.

Students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do at the beginning. As many as 76% fall behind.

Teachers spend an average of 4-6 weeks every fall reviewing materials students have forgotten over the summer, in particular math and spelling.

More than 7,000 kids took part in the Summer Brain Gain in the past school year. Results show gains in math scores, thanks to the new STEM curriculum.

Whether he's playing a math game or reading a book on science, 10-year-old Marshall always wants to challenge himself. Despite being quiet, he's a draw for other kids, who are curious about what he's up to. And he's happy to explain to them, demonstrating amazing patience with kids who are younger than him. At the Don Fisher Clubhouse, he especially loves a math game inspired by basketball stats, as well as a program called Tinkering, which involved tackling creative design challenges like building a pinball machine. For Marshall, who lives with his parents and his seventeen-year-old sister in San Francisco, tackling something new never gets old, and summer offers endless possibilies to keep exploring.