In November, the Gateway Region YMCA in St. Louis, Missouri, brought its new Mobile Y to the community. The 52-foot trailer offers different, fun activities to help provide youth and teens a safe and desirable place to connect with peers.
Matt Thompson, the district vice president of the Gateway Region YMCA, said the offering was made possible thanks to the Y’s partnership with the Office of Violence Prevention in St. Louis. The office used American Rescue Plan Act funds to make the $235,111 trailer a reality.
“The Mobile Y provides a unique opportunity for youth and communities who can’t easily access our physical locations to still engage with all the YMCA has to offer,” said Thompson. “The Mobile Y brings various free resources to teens and youth 18 and younger in St. Louis.”
Mobile Y Details
Activities available through the Mobile Y include gaming on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, mobile DJ units, STEAM programming, and pickup games like basketball, cornhole and kickball.
The Mobile Y is available after school during the week and on the weekends to partner with other community organizations, events, schools and more to bring programming to as many teens as possible in the city.
“Thus far, we’ve had 23 engagement opportunities/events, 670 youth and teens engaged, over 900 people reached, and seven community partners,” said Thompson. “In partnership with the YMCA’s Community Health Team, we refer those in need through the Mobile Y to various resources including housing assistance, utility assistance, mental healthcare and food access.”
All features of the Mobile Y include:
- Two Nintendo Switches with wireless controllers.
- Three Xbox Series Xs with wireless controllers.
- Two PS5s with wireless controllers.
- One VR Station.
- A multitude of games across all consoles.
- Multiple FC 247 TVs.
- Three Mobile DJ Units and School of Beats curriculum for training.
- Sphero programming robot balls.
- Snap circuits.
- Construction straws for engineering.
- Recreational hub with games like kickball, cornhole, flag football, tug of war and more.
Community Reaction and Advice
Thompson said even with very little advertising in the community about the new offering, the Y has built a very full schedule in the short time they’ve activated programming for youth.
“Teens are loving the opportunity to connect with each other in the Mobile Y,” said Thompson. “Think outside the box to meet teens and youth where they’re at in your community. We have long-standing programming like Teen Achievers, Youth and Government, Teen Leaders, and more, but the Mobile Y allows us to engage with youth we may not have been able to offer programming to for a variety of reasons.”
Any city resident interested in bringing the trailer to their community can do so by filling out a form on the YMCA’s website. Also, scheduling must occur two-to-four weeks from an event to ensure staff availability.
For the immediate future, funding for the Mobile Y runs through September 2026.
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