Less Gym, More Games?
The East End New Leaders, a group of politically active young adults based in Amagansett, continues to push for expanded spaces for youths at the Y.M.C.A.-East Hampton RECenter, even as administrators there have agreed to add more such amenities.
New Leaders has proposed downsizing the gym areas, which the group says dominate the facility. They want to add an “art zone” to the back of the first floor, with chalkboard and whiteboard walls and art supplies, and to make the second floor a youth lounge with sofas, flat-screen TVs, computers, board games, air hockey, and more, with space set aside on the third floor for snacks, drinks, and equipment for music activities. Outside the building, the group envisions a community garden for children.
To push for these changes, the East End New Leaders recently started a petition on the website change.org. It had just over 200 signatures by yesterday morning.
According to Walker Bragman, a member of the group’s executive board, the Y has agreed to add more art supplies and music equipment. A Sept. 22 update to the group’s online petition called it a “partial victory,” but Mr. Bragman said the additions stop short of reconfiguring the gym space.
East Hampton Town provides a portion of the RECenter’s funding, about $590,000 each year. Children under the age of 18 are eligible for free memberships.
“The town shouldn’t be subsidizing a gym,” said Mr. Bragman. “I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money.” He himself, he said, used to hang out at the RECenter before it became affiliated with the Y.M.C.A.
He said the East End New Leaders’ plan is ambitious, but added, “I think the kids deserve it. I think the kids in East Hampton are in crisis, and I think they need the town to be ambitious.”
Asked for a response to the campaign, Glenn Vickers, the RECenter’s executive director, provided a brochure detailing the facility’s youth programs and called the Y.M.C.A. RECenter “an industry leader in youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work from our staff, board, and volunteers that continue to tell our story and showcase our impact,” Mr. Vickers said in an email.
According to the brochure, the activities in progress this fall include dance classes, beginner karate, music for toddlers, art sessions, sports, and more. It mentions “learning labs” and video games. Recreational hours for teens and pre-teens are set up between 2:30 and 6 p.m. a few days each week; the brochure describes those sessions as “a safe and structured environment to socialize and explore their interests.”
To some degree, Mr. Bragman took issue with the “structured” component of the RECenter’s programming. Kids need “free play,” he said. “We’ve shown them studies that indicate what we’re asking for is necessary and a part of child development. Without free play, there’s a link to general anxiety and depression.”
Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the town board member who serves as the board’s liaison to the Y, said yesterday that the new group’s efforts were admirable. However, she said, the “big picture” needs to be considered.
“It’s a balancing act in terms of serving all of the needs of the community at the Y.M.C.A,” she said. “I think that the Y.M.C.A. leadership wants what’s best for our kids. They’re working to develop programming for our preteens and teens, and I have faith in their approach.”