With new youth center, Newton's YMCA hopes to expand reach

Published by The Boston Globe

The West Suburban YMCA in Newton is renovating its basement to make room for a youth center, including a technology center, a homework room and a music recording studio.

The new rooms should be open by the end of October, and the space will double the amount of kids who can participate in youth programs, said Duffy Drent, vice president for organizational advancement. The Y currently has a strong program for children ages 3 to 6, but the new youth center will reach out to kids of all age groups, he said.



“We’re trying to be contemporary in response to what interests kids today,” Drent said. “Technology is wonderful way to connect with kids.”

Though the new youth center will have a minimum of 12 new computers, a foosball table, and the music clubhouse, the Y hopes kids in the center will also stay active and healthy, said Drent. Often, kids will see others running around in other parts of the Y and want to join them, he said.

Fitness could enter the youth center directly; a new floor in the center may be used for classes like yoga, said Lisa LaVallee, marketing and communications director. Currently, the Y has a waiting list for children interested in their youth programs, she said, and the new center will allow those kids to participate.

The West Suburban branch of the Y is housed in a 100-year-old building, said Drent. The first phase of renovations, a new men’s locker room, opened in July, and new family locker rooms will follow.