15 Months since opening, The 906 Youth Center continues to expand services for Union County youth
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, December 9th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – On September 2, 2023, The 906 Youth Center officially opened its doors, providing a crucial service for Union County youth in need. Through a combination of communal support, mentorship and vocational opportunities, as well as access to a safe, fun environment, The 906 has continued to provide a stabilizing presence for Union County teens and young adults. Recently, Youth 360, The 906’s parent organization, was one of several community groups selected by the Oregon Health Authority to receive a Community Capacity Building Funds grant, opening up even more opportunities for local youth.
Specifically, the grant, worth $129,030 dollars, will be used to further expand and develop The 906’s youth staff. Though at least three adult staff members are always on-site, since its inception, The 906 has continued to build up and mentor youth through in-house paid staff positions, making the center by-youth-for-youth in its day-to-day operations. As explained by Nicholas Batten, Special Projects Manager for Training and Employment Consortium:
“We have 11 youth working at the center now, in paid positions. Basically, they run the center, and I just work in the background now to organize and direct. But they cook the food, they clean, they run the snack bar…”
And as further elaborated by Kitia Chambers, Juvenile Resilience Coordinator for Youth 360:
“They do peer support. So, playing games with other youth or helping them with homework. We just started a youth action board, which is specific to youth with lived experiences and those who advocate for them. They’re pretty excited about getting their roles and group norms lined out and putting a handbook together, and just starting to lift youth voices and seeing what kind of change they want to see in our community.”
In addition to bringing more staff on board, the funds will assist with IT and software upgrades for the center, as well as fully licensing The 906’s in-house kitchen. The new licensing will allow it to provide meals for youth outside the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization’s (EOCCO) system, in addition to creating additional jobs for youth. As explained further by Nicholas:
“Part of the goal is to create more job positions for youth because there’s not a whole lot of jobs available for 14- and 15-year-old youth in this community. So, by doing these things, we can basically provide more work opportunities because the more I can keep them busy here, the more hours I can provide them. It’s such a good way to keep them out of trouble.”
It should be noted that youth employees are required to keep up their grades and be passing all their classes. This is meant to help further instill a sense of accountability. For youth that aren’t working at the center, The 906 of course provides various activities, such as a crafts group from the Cook Memorial Library, along with in-house music groups on Thursdays, including a fully equipped recording studio, organized by a local musician. Games and board games are always on offer, along with study and homework help. Youth age 13-18 can simply drop by The 906 any time, while youth 18-24 are asked to schedule one-on-one assistance in advance.
Even with the upcoming expansion of student staff and the kitchen service, there are further plans and ideas for offering in-house health/mental health services and other full wrap around services. Another goal is to further strengthen relationships with community partners, such as the Center for Human Development and the Youth Alliance, to better support youth at risk transitioning between services, or “warm handoffs” as Kitia put it.
In the meantime, things have continued to improve in The 906, which, appropriately, saw 360 unique visits during October. Youth 360 staff remain both optimistic and dedicated to serving both youth and their families in Union County. Reflecting on the recent progress and the overall atmosphere at The 906, Kitia remarked:
“I love seeing youth gain independence, and when they find something they’re passionate about. Maybe it’s not the direction that they’re going forever, but it’s a direction for now. Because that helps us figure out what we like and what we don’t like. I feel like that’s very life-giving; it gives us worth and value.”
And as remarked by Nicholas:
“We have a lot of youth that come here that are not mainstream youth. They’re able to find other youth and build communities. So, watching them build relationships with other youth, build friendships in a healthy, productive manner…I think that’s huge too.”
For more information on Youth 360 and The 906, visit: https://www.unioncountyfamilysupport.com/youth-360
