August 31, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Giving teens a place of their own

by Sue Dremann

Kim Jackson grew up in Palo Alto at a time when gangs and drugs were plaguing her neighborhood. The gangs are mostly gone now, but kids in the Ventura area still face poverty, depression and boredom, according to research gathered by the Palo Alto Family YMCA.

Fortunately for Jackson, there was one place in her neighborhood she could go for help and support throughout high school -- the YMCA of the Mid-Peninsula's Ventura Youth Activity Center.

This fall, new staff members at the 8-year-old center on Ventura Court in south Palo Alto are hoping to expand the programs and improve the lives of more kids in neighborhood.

Contrary to the stereotype of a privileged Palo Alto, the Ventura area -- tucked away between Page Mill Road, West Meadow Drive, El Camino Real and Alma Street -- has the highest concentration of underprivileged, immigrant and minority families in the city, said Kate Reynolds, communications director of the Palo Alto Family YMCA.

The neighborhood is composed mostly of multi-story rental units.

Because a sense of community has been hard to find in apartment living, some kids, like Jackson, turned to the activities center for a place to hang out. Jackson, 21, has been frequenting the center since middle school. She joined a girls' circle, where they just talked about growing up and being girls.

She credits the mentoring she received at the center with keeping her in school. After graduation, she joined the staff. On her last day there this month before heading off to the University of New Mexico, Jackson enjoyed a going-away party.

Despite Jackson's fondness for the center, not all the kids in the neighborhood have been using it.

On a slow Friday afternoon, a pool table, badly in need of re-felting and sporting a makeshift patch, sat unattended. Only a handful of youth sat watching programs on the newly purchased large-screen television.

Although the center is in need of new equipment and a facelift, program coordinators hope to bring about a renaissance there -- not with tax dollars, but through the sweat equity and determination of staff and a few neighborhood kids.

In a bid to revitalize flagging interest at the center, staff members are trying a new strategy: listening to the kids.

"We're going to give them what they want, not what we think they want," said Carlos Villareal, program coordinator at the youth center.

The wish list of activities and equipment that kids say would attract them to the facility include basketball and soccer tournaments, a skate park, a new Playstation, air hockey and foosball tables, and a fitness center -- all of which the recently hired coordinators say they will make a reality. Already, the center has installed a large-screen television and the Playstation. Video games with sports themes -- no violent ones -- are available to entertain neighborhood youth, who typically range in age from 8 to 19, said Alvaro Lopez, youth and community program coordinator.

The first steps toward making the teens' dreams come true and attracting area youth will begin this month, with a back-to-school barbeque and backpack and school-supplies giveaway. A three-on-three basketball tournament takes place Sept. 17. The tournament will also feature food, T-shirts and other items donated by businesses.

Villareal and Lopez hope to spruce up the outdoor basketball court with a new coat of blacktop before the tournament, but like nearly everything else they need to make their dream become reality, they rely on donations. The two men, both 24, are using the one resource they can count on -- their own energy -- to partner with businesses to get what they need.

They also want to brighten the run-down activity center with new paint, and a plan to rearrange the Henry Page Computer Center The computer lab helps kids with homework and college preparation, surf the Web and create personal, iron-on logos for their own T-shirts. Lopez and Villareal would like to put in a fitness center, where kids can work out. They are trying to get used equipment donated from other YMCA facilities. The center is always in need of donations, they said.

They'll also need to let kids know the center exists.

"As soon as school starts, we'll be there," Villareal said, planning a comprehensive outreach program. The pair intend to go door-to-door to get out the message, if need be.

Both have the stuff to make their vision more than a pipedream, they say. Villareal ran recreation programs for at-risk youth through Catholic Charities, and Lopez has worked with at-risk teens in San Jose, and for the YMCA for in Palo Alto for two years.

Obesity, depression and low self-esteem plague many at-risk kids, Reynolds said. Part of the Y's program focuses on "developmental assets," building self-esteem through improving fitness and teaching future life skills, she added. A grant to encourage fitness for kids ages 10 to 19 is enabling the center to start a Y Healthy U fitness program, where kids can track their fitness progress by computer and win prizes. To help kids build character, Y-Achievers, a 10-week program, reaches out to teens to help them develop strong values, and make smart, healthy decisions, Lopez said. The dividend is that kids stay out of trouble and become positive adults.

Andrea Davis, now in her early 20s, has been coming to the center three times a week since age 14. "I was lucky to be part of this place," she said, looking around. "The after-school programs helped us to meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends."

The ping-pong table is an attraction for Briza Landa, 12, who has been attending the center since she was 8-years old. She also comes to the center to be with the staff, she said. "The people here help me with my homework and teach me new stuff," she said. This year, she attended a camping trip to Scotts Valley, with groups of kids and staff.

Jackson couldn't imagine what life would have been like without the support and camaraderie she got at the youth center, she said. She is sorry to leave, but is taking the lessons she learned to heart.

"I was going to put off college, but I thought about it. Gabby (Crescini, the community program director) said, 'This is what you are supposed to do.'"

The Ventura Youth Activities Center is located at 3990 Ventura Court. For information, contact Gabrielle Crescini, program director, at (650) 842-7156 or gcrescini@ymcamidpen.org.

Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.

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