About BMCY
The Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth and Families serves all members of our community through access to resources and positive activities.
For more than fifteen years BMCYF’s core work has been the operation of a drop-in youth center in downtown West Point. In 2008, BMCYF documented 191 youth participants (37%) of the local under-eighteen population. Our Main Street Center is open to youth four days per week, serves family-style meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and offers a variety of art workshops, supported play, teen outreach sessions and life skills activities. On Wednesdays the center is dedicated to adult activities, hosting ECHO and a monthly Ladies Tea. The BMCYF center on Main Street is also available to community organizations for meetings and special events. The center provides space for Mountain Mi-Wuk tribal meetings and parties, social service outreach, toddler play groups, art workshops, community yoga classes, senior exercise classes, neighborhood watch meetings, local art shows, and farmers’ markets.
Our Main Street Center includes a kitchen, large living space, game area, well-stocked art studio with pottery kiln, and a private office for individual meetings. Youth and community members can also access our basketball court, skateboard ramp, lighted patio, stage, and two community gardens. Inspired by our community, BMCYF is growing; we now operate myAmador/myCalaveras, a locally-established online business-listing site, and we are working to build an eco-living center in West Point with space for transitional housing.
Programs & Activities
Daily life at the BMCYF center is a mix of life skills, mentoring relationships, gardening, cooking, art, and music. BMCYF facilitates a number of programs and activities for people of all ages, including: community gardening, congregate meals, art workshops, teen outreach programs, community events, Ladies’ Teas, and ECHO, a family advocacy program.
“…you get to pick the stuff you’ve made and actually eat it.” Lakeeta, 13
The BMCYF operates two community gardens in our small town. The Garden of Youth at the BMCYF center has been growing in our back yard for six years. The BMCYF Community Garden Project is a collaborative between local farmers and families. Nine garden boxes on our Spink Road property in downtown West Point are overflowing with fresh greens, herbs and vegetables.
“We have dinners here- we are all like a big ol’ family.” Rohanna, 9
The Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth & Families has been serving home-cooked, family style meals on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for nearly eight years. These meals give local youth the opportunity to enjoy a healthy, balanced meal while experiencing the supportive atmosphere of a family table. Now, the BMCYF is pleased to have a trained chef on staff. With a background in medicine and culinary arts, Gloria not only feeds everyone with delicious fresh food, but also with valuable nutrition information.
“Everyday that the youth center is open I do art here.” Camilla, 11
The arts are a central activity at the BMCYF. Every day, art activities are available at the Main Street center for youth and families of all ages. Art projects and murals line almost every inch of the center’s 3,000 square feet. One third of the center is dedicated to ceramics, painting, drawing, crafts, any inspiration participants have, and the mess that might come with it. Music and dance are also regular activities at the BMCYF center. Volunteers come weekly to lead singing and music classes with the kids. Currently, on Mondays Nedra leads a singing group, and on Tuesdays Ron plays music with anyone who happens to be around.
“We learned to many things to count.” Samantha 12
ProTeen is a teen outreach program funded by a community challenge grant through the California Department of Public Health, Office of Family Planning with the goal of reducing unplanned teen pregnancy. The BMCYF collaborates with two other youth centers, Calaveras Mentoring, and the County Office of Education to serve youth throughout our county. At the BMCYF youth participate in goal-setting activities, life skills curriculum, and service learning projects. Last year, as the BMCYF service learning activity, youth participants designed a cafe project. With staff and volunteer support youth served five community brunches, learned food service skills, practiced customer service, created job resumes and took a field trip.