Zach Gordon Youth Center

Registration for Zach Gordon Youth Center summer camps opens Monday, April 11

The City and Borough of Juneau’s Zach Gordon Youth Center is offering several different weeklong summer camps for ages 5 – 11. Online registration opens Monday, April 11, at 12 p.m. here under the “Youth & Teen” tab. Each weeklong camp costs $100-$150. Scholarships are available; learn more here and email [email protected] to register using a scholarship.

The weeklong camps have different themes that focus on art, water activities, getting outside, and exploring the Tongass National Forest. Find more detailed information here. Most of the sessions cater to 7-11 year olds. One session is for ages 5-6. Each weeklong camp has a max capacity of 13 kids.

For more information, contact Zach Gordon Youth Center’s Ashley Cunningham at [email protected] or 907-586-2635.

April 7th, 2022|

Join CBJ as a Youth Development Leader

City and Borough of Juneau Parks & Recreation Department and Zach Gordon Youth Center Division are recruiting for a permanent full-time Youth Development Leader I to work evening and night shifts at the Shéiyi X̱aat Hít youth shelter. This position is responsible for the safety and supervision of youth during sleeping hours as well as the morning as they start the day. This includes, cooking meals, light housekeeping, helping incoming youth with paperwork and getting settled, and providing supportive counseling.
 
This position is located at the new youth shelter in the Mendenhall Valley area of Juneau. This position comes with full benefits and pays $17.65 to $20.12 hourly depending on qualifications. The work schedule for this position are 4 pm to 12 am or 12 am to 8 am. Those employees whose work schedule includes in excess of 2 continuous hours between 4 pm and midnight will receive a shift differential of $1.50 per hour. Those employees whose work schedule includes in excess of 2 continuous hours between midnight and 8 am will be paid a shift differential of $2 per hour.
 
See the job posting here, and apply here, or call Jorden Nigro at 907-586-0456 for more details. This job closes on March 3. 
February 22nd, 2022|

Zach Gordon Youth Center 75th anniversary kicks off with Drive-In Bingo Thursday

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Zach Gordon Youth Center, the center and Juneau Parks & Recreation is kicking off a month-long celebration with Drive-In Bingo this Thursday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittier Street parking lot near ZGYC.

Free registration for bingo, which is required, is open now and can be done online here (look under Special Events). Parking begins at 6 p.m. and game time is 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday.

The Zach Gordon Youth Center is named for Cadmus Zaccheus Gordon. Gordon first came to Juneau in 1943 during World War II. He initially ran a United Service Organization club, which hosted hundreds of servicemen stationed in Juneau as well as those en route to other war zones. At the end of the war, Gordon stayed in Juneau and converted the U.S.O. club to a club for teenagers.

According to a biography on Gordon written by Renee Guerin, Juneau High School, Class of 1954, “Zach knew the names of all the Juneau youngsters and made visitors from every town and village in Alaska equally welcome at the club. He attended school functions, never missed a basketball game, and spoke at many commencements. There is no official record of the number of deserving college-bound youngsters for whom Zach quietly arranged financial assistance … Zach envisioned a ‘home away from home’ for Juneau’s teenagers and provided it until his death on July 11, 1977.”

Aside from Drive-In Bingo, ZGYC and Parks & Recreation will also be holding a movie in the park event, sponsored by the Friends of Zach Gordon Youth Center. Movie, date, and location will be announced at a later date.

For more information, contact Parks & Recreation at 907-586-5226, or look at the Facebook event.

November 1st, 2021|

Vaccine clinic & BBQ at Zach Gordon Youth Center today, July 1, at 3-5 p.m.

Get a COVID-19 vaccine and enjoy a hamburger at Zach Gordon Youth Center today, July 1, at 3 – 5 p.m. The youth center is partnering with SEARHC’s Front Street Clinic to hold a vaccine clinic and a BBQ. Anyone ages 12 and up is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The clinic will provide first and second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if available. No appointment is necessary.

If you can’t make it to this clinic, Front Street Clinic will hold additional clinics at ZGYC on the following Thursdays – July 22, August 12, and September 2.

The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for ages 12 and up; Johnson & Johnson for ages 18 and up. Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, or have written parental/guardian permission.

For more information, contact the Zach Gordon Youth Center at 586-2635

 

 

July 1st, 2021|

Shéiyi X̱aat Hít will house runaway & homeless youth in Juneau

The City and Borough of Juneau Zach Gordon Youth Center and the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) have partnered to open Shéiyi X̱aat Hít, a shelter that will serve runaway or homeless youth and young adults in Juneau. Shéiyi X̱aat Hít will be located in the Mendenhall Valley at 9290 Hurlock Avenue and is set to open this spring.

“THRHA is honored to be a partner in this community effort to support Juneau’s youth. Shéiyi X̱aat Hít symbolizes the words from our elders, the trees stayed strong by the roots intertwined below the soil to hold them up. This place is like that, a network of support for our youth,” THRHA President/CEO Jacqueline Kus.een Pata said.

The name Shéiyi X̱aat Hít, which means Spruce Root House, was gifted to the project by X’unei Lance Twitchell. As property managers of the house, THRHA has secured funding to make repairs to the building, purchase furniture, and get it ready to house occupants. THRHA leases the property from CBJ for $100 a year for the purpose of providing youth services.

Zach Gordon Youth Center (ZGYC) will be project managers. ZGYC is currently hiring staff, going through the State of Alaska licensing process for residential facilities serving youth, and general program development.

“It is our intention with Shéiyi X̱aat Hít to create a program that is culturally responsive, trauma informed, and incorporates positive youth development. We are working with our partners to create a space where runaway and homeless youth can feel safe, supported, and lifted by their community while they get the help they need to transition into stable housing successfully. We are so grateful to be doing this with THRHA. It is really wonderful what we can do for our young folks – and our community as a whole – when we start from a place of connection and collaboration,” CBJ Youth Development and Services Manager Jorden Nigro said.

The house will serve up to six youth ages 10-18 who have runaway or are homeless, and up to four homeless young adults ages 18-20 in an attached apartment.

Funders involved in this project are: Alaska Community Foundation, Northern Light United Church, the federal Family and Youth Services Bureau, Juneau Community Foundation, Alaska Mental Health Trust, Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, and Friends of Zach Gordon Youth Center.

For more information, contact:

March 2nd, 2021|
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