The Medford Youth Center is operated in the Gene Mack Gym for the City of Medford by the Mystic Valley YMCA. It serves a diverse group of children ages 5 to 13, offering year-round coordinated developmental After School and Out of School Time (ASOST) programs tailored to the ages and interest of youth served. Programming is focused on
literacy, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) and social and emotional (SEL) learning concepts. Literacy is integrated into all program activities to encourage reading confidence and lifelong learning. This aspect of the Youth Center is supported by a $250,000 Sustaining
Grant that the Friends of Chevalier received from Cummings Foundation. The Friends also obtained a $100,000 Cummings Foundation grant for the Medford Boys & Girls nClub, which previously operated in the Gene Mack Gym. For more information on the Medford Youth Center, visit its page on the Mystic Valley YMCA website.
Youth Center
Medford Recreation Department...
About the Medford Recreation Department
The Medford Recreation Department was created in 2018 and conducts most of its indoor programs in the Gene Mack Gym below Chevalier Theatre, where it also has its offices. Medford Recreation is committed to providing diversified programs, community events, and activities for all ages and physical abilities. Through partnerships with other
Medford organizations, the Recreation Department helps enhance our community through promoting events and activities that are available to all Medford residents. Recreation is always working toward expanding programming and facility needs tom residents of all ages. The department is also responsible for operations at Wright’s Pond, Tufts Pool, Hormel Stadium, and LoConte Rink, as well as administering park permits that are approved by the Parks and Hormel Commission. The Friends of Chevalier have supported the Recreation Department with two grants, which were used to refurbish the Gene Mack Gym floor and to update the basketball
apparatus in the gym. For a complete list of the Recreation Department’s programs, from Archery to Wrestling, visit the department’s website.
Cummings Foundation Sustaining Grants...
In 2018, the Friends of Chevalier Theatre and Gene Mack Gymnasium on behalf of the Medford Youth Center received a Sustaining Grant from the Cummings Foundation that provides a total of $250,000 over 10 years.
The Sustaining Grant program builds on the Cummings Foundation $100,000K grant program for which the Friends of Chevalier obtained a $100,000 grant for the Youth Center in 2014.That grant enabled the Youth Center to enroll more members in its after-school program; made the Education Coordinator a paid, permanent position which reinforced the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Youth Center.
​
Having received the final $100K for 100 grant disbursement of $25,000 in 2017, the Friends were automatically eligible to apply for the new Sustaining Grant initiative in 2018. Following an extensive 5 month review process, the Friends were one of 33 nonprofits selected from Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties selected for a Sustaining Grant. This grant supports a broad new Literacy Initiative at the Medford Youth Center, as an extension of Project Learn.
The goal is to foster youth interest and motivation to read to strengthen youth literacy skills. The Center provides literacy-specific activities and incorporates literacy into all program areas, making the Youth Center a literacy-rich environment. Literacy, specifically reading at grade level, is a critical factor for academic success. In Massachusetts, only 54% of fourth-graders are at or above the proficient level in reading and the rate is even lower for low-income youth and youth who are Black or Hispanic. Youth of all ages are now participating in a Digital Media Program where they learn to write and edit scripts and dialogues, create short films, and use editing software. These activities provide opportunities to practice and reinforce skills in literacy, technology, and the arts.