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YMCA Teen Task Force
 “We are hiring new members” said Tracy. My first reaction was WHAT! We are getting fired? But she later explained that we needed more people to replace the Task Force members who are leaving the project due to their plans after high school. Then Task Force members were grouped in groups of 2, each in charge of updating the job application, a flyer, and the interview questions. At the next meeting we started discussing how the interviewing process was going to work. Each one of us is in charge of interviewing the teens in an assigned interview. It could be a phone, group or final in-person interview. We decided this because by following this process every Task Force member would have met the finalists. This really excites me because we are going to meet new teens and also because it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate how much we have learned throughout the year. We will get to teach the new members what we’ve learned. What are we looking for in new Task Force members? We are looking for excited teens to work on the project as best as they can, for them to adapt easily to the responsibility of working on a changing project, to give whatever they can to the Task Force, and most importantly to help us on a project to make a lot of people’s dream come true. Interested in joining us on the Teen Center Task Force? Click here to see what it takes and to access the application.
 It all started on an average day in sophomore year. So there I was, half-daydreaming through my third period English class. Suddenly out of the abyss of classroom chatter I heard Ms. Jones describing something along the lines of: “Fun…paid job…YMCA…Teen Center…great opportunity.” This was it - this would be the change of pace I had been looking for for over two years. I realize now that joining the Teen Center Task Force was a very special and significant decision for me. I realized this during one of our first meetings. I still remember the sweat seeping out of my pores as I struggled to stay attentive in that stuffy inferno of a meeting room. Again, I sat there half-daydreaming, still unsure if I had made the right decision about joining the team. Our conversation was just beginning to touch on all the things we would soon learn about completing a project of this scale. This was the first sign of things to come like: lots and lots of fundraising, planning, hiring architects and consultants, writing formal reports and requests, budgeting, public networking, and the oh so holy paycheck. Soon one of our most intelligent and entertaining adult volunteers, Tom Ratcliff, began to talk about what a Teen Center will do for Berkeley and all the great changes that will be brought about. This got me thinking – I am going to leave a legacy in my home town. Just that word – ‘legacy’ – echoed in my head. I was inspired. With a flash of the future before my eyes and a rush of determination I started on my path to change the world. As I look back on joining the Teen Center Task Force it’s been a very interesting, fun, scary, and confusing experience. I know that pretty much sums up life. Really though, I basically applied for this position with an enthusiasm that can only be described as naïve. I didn’t know what I was actually getting into. Unknowingly I was about to go on one of the most inspirational rides of my life. And boy, looking back now I know that this change of pace at the YMCA has forever changed my life.
 As many of you may know, Bayer HealthCare – the major manufacturer of products that improve human and animal health worldwide – is a major supporter and benefactor of the Teen Center project. When asked how I felt about them supporting this project a lot of things came to mind but the first was extremely grateful. I know that as many projects in the business world go, they cannot even attempt to be successful with out a strong partner. Bayer is our major and well known partner and supporter - contributing to the capital campaign to build the Teen Center and serving as the founding supporter of the Teen Task Force itself. Bayer is helping to supply the educational stipend that all members of the Teen Task Force will be receiving after finishing their time on the project. Through this partnership with Bayer, I have had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with Joerg Heidrich, Senior Vice President and Berkeley Site Head of Bayer HealthCare. During our community engagement breakfast in September I was thrown the task of introducing him as our guest. Through some research that I did he appeared to be a very interesting man. His business philosophy is “I’m not the one making nice charts; I’m more the one who’s about action, execution, and making continuous improvements.” Upon my second meeting with Mr. Heidrich at the YMCA Annual Dinner in November, I was actually able to sit next to him and have a regular conversation. And just as I had assumed about him being interesting – it was indeed true. Though he plays a major role at Bayer HealthCare he is still a normal guy. We talked about things like iPhones, iPods and how technology is advancing rapidly. Mrs. Heidrich was talking to the guy next to her about exercise and how Mr. Heidrich needs to get back into it. More information on Bayer HealthCare and the work they in the US and around the world click here.More information on Bayer USA Foundation and the work they do to support non-profits like the YMCA click here.
 As I slipped on my slacks I thought of all those people that were going to be there tonight." There is nothing I should feel scared about, I have met most of these people before, it will all be fine," I thought to myself as I took a deep calming breath. I got to the Teen Center at 5:00pm and positioned myself at the greeting table. Minutes later the room was filled with Rotarians – looking nice and mingling with Task Force. Rotarians are members of the Rotary Club, a non- profit organization that is committed to improving communities everywhere. The Berkeley Rotary Club has been an important piece to the puzzle we’re working on – the making of the Teen Center – because of their financial support I am able to be a part of the Teen Center Task Force. After introductions we gave tours of the building to the Rotarians and saw the look of excitement in their faces and heard it in their questions. After tours back in the lobby Fran (the YMCA’s President/CEO) and Tracy (our supervisor) talked for a couple of minutes, and then it was our turn to be in the hot seat. We all spoke about why we joined the Task Force and what projects we were currently working on. We ended the night with a brief Q&A session. The questions made us think and speak on our feet, but we all did our part to give accurate responses. Everyone spoke eloquently, I was proud of how far we have come as a team and as individuals. Okay, I’ll just say it – we did great! Though the night was over and the event was a success, with both sides learning a lot from each other we still have a Teen Center to build. Rotary likes to be involved in projects ‘with’ the community rather than ‘for’ the community. For more information on the types of projects that Rotary works on click here.
 I was hit immediately by the whimsical but strong glint that shone through those blue zebra rimmed sunglasses. Behind those glasses were hidden the eyes of one of the world's most integral creators of modern day fitness. With an obscurely cracked joke and a punch to the shoulder I finally met the infamous Jack LaLanne along with his wife Elaine. Seeing as health is one of the YMCA's most important goals it was definitely appropriate to invite Jack to the Berkeley-Albany YMCA's Annual Celebration. Along with the LaLannes the YMCA also honored radio host and parent educator Rona Renner and Pumpsie Green, the first African American player for the Boston Red Sox. The Task Force was invited to the event for a number of reasons. We covered a wide array of jobs at the reception and dinner. Several of us were pretty much there to greet, mingle, and guide Jack and Elaine and other honorees and guests around. In our journeys we met and conversed with many people integral to our project: YMCA Board Members, donors and community leaders. We had an exhibit set up where two teens were explaining the Teen Center to a nothing less than captivated audience. Two other teens were also lucky enough to present an award to our friend Joerg Heidrich the Senior Vice President and Berkeley Site Head from Bayer HealthCare. Bayer has been such a help to the project and was honored as the YMCA’s Corporate Partner of the Year at the event. In addition to all our great interactions we actually learned a thing or two and had some great food. This night showed us a new side to the Teen Center project. It gave us insight into how important the Teen Center actually is to the YMCA. No pressure though…we just have the weighty expectations of a whole lot of people not to mention a whole lot of money riding on our shoulders. I know we can pull through. Of course it helps seeing the YMCA pull together such a fabulous, well-crafted event. With skills like that on the team as well as this remarkable group I know we can make the Teen Center a marvelous reality. If you missed the YMCA’s Annual Celebration you can still check out the slideshow of the event by clicking here.
 On Saturday November 8th, three teens from the Task Force traveled with Tracy to the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to learn more about the sustainable design aspects of the building. Diana Meckfessel, a professional counselor and mentor who is on the Task Force has a friend who is a docent there, and specializes in giving tours about sustainability. With her connection, we were able to get an “insider’s look” at what earned this building a LEED Platinum standing. Being able to understand what the LEED program is is important to the Task Force because our goal is to create a LEED Gold Teen Center. Going on the tour illustrated to me how LEED actually looks in a building instead of just seeing it as a set of theoretical criteria written on piece of paper. Our docent started by giving us some history on the architecture of the Academy, and then we got to the fun part. For me, the highlight of the tour was going up to the roof, which is entirely green. There, our docent explained the structural components of the building that were able to hold such an expansive roof that is entirely covered with shrubbery. Even though it was a cloudy morning, the roof offered picturesque views of the Golden Gate Park landscape. Observing the roof made me start thinking about how the Task Force could possibly design a green roof as well. Going on field trips like this is especially interesting because it takes what we’re learning about in our weekly meetings out into the “real world” and shows how programs such as LEED are actually implemented in buildings. To see the amazing rooftop garden at the California Academy of Sciences click here.To find out what LEED stands for and for more information on LEED Certification click here.
 Berkeley Rotary Club – a key supporter of The Teen Task Force – invited us to a special evening at Berkeley Rep to see the play “Yellow Jackets” written by BHS graduate, Itamar Moses. I think they wanted us to get an idea of how Berkeley was back in the early 90’s – when the play takes place – so we could compare it to how things are today. We’ve been working so hard on Teen Center project and it’s been quite a journey but we’re still not finished yet. I thought a field trip with some “down time” was just the thing we needed to keep positive and focused. Our night began with a reception in the Rep’s courtyard, where we had refreshments and socialized with the Rotarians. The teens attacked the food: how could you not guess? The building was modern and beautiful and the courtyard open and welcoming. Greenery made it feel fresh and relaxing. (More new ideas to think about in terms of adding to our Teen Center.) Anyways we took our seats and I browsed through the program to get a better feel for the play. Then it started with the flickering of lights and kids fighting. “Even back in the 90’s kids were fighting” I whispered to my neighbor. I laughed from beginning to end because there really wasn’t that much of a difference from when I was in high school: same old fights, students talking back to the teachers, and complaints of the Jacket (the school paper) not meeting everyone’s needs. I learned that there wasn’t much of a difference in Berkeley from then to now. Being a 2008 BHS graduate I’ve seen a lot happen over my 4 years there and most of the things I’ve seen in school I saw again in the play. It was like a flashback from when I was at Berkeley High. For more information on the Berkeley Rotary Club click here.For more information on Yellowjackets and Berkeley Repertory click here.
 Last Friday, we visited the Stopwaste.org building in Downtown Oakland to learn what a LEED Platinum building looks like. Outside, what I first noticed was a GREEN building – yes, the building itself was the color green! When we entered, the first thing we saw was a touch screen machine. “What is it?” Everybody asked. The machine showed how much energy the building saved per year, what percent of the electricity was coming from solar panels, and much more. Then we were ready to continue the tour but before that, chocolate on the front desk was waiting for each one of us. With chocolate in our hands, we entered the largest and tallest room, similar to the main room from our Teen Center. There was a lot of space, light, and fresh air. Walking around the building, we saw their kitchen, which featured lights that turned on with a movement. The bathrooms were Antonia’s favorite. She liked how pretty they were, and the automatic faucets with their own solar sensors to generate power. We were also impressed with the gallery of recycled art pieces. One that stood out to me was a shirt made of pictures from a magazine. Very pretty! Later we went to the second floor where the offices were located – similar to how our building will be. Everywhere there were desks with brochures and guides of how to be green and how to recycle. Overall visiting this building was a great experience. It gave us new ideas for our building, a better understanding of what it is to be green, and made us wonder if we were able to do similar things in our building and if we had the budget to do them. See what we saw - check out the virtual tour of Stopwaste.org for yourself
 Alyson Yarus from Noll & Tam came to visit recently. First she chatted with us about our thoughts on the Yellow Jackets play at the Berkeley Rep (she saw it with some of the Task Force members). Then she presented us with three exciting layouts of what the teen center could possibly look like. One had three floors, another had a bunch of windows and they were all really great. Our team pretty much unanimously all gravitated toward the same plan that we had all come to like without arguments or persuasion. So I guess the one we chose must be “the one” (hopefully). We all really liked Option #1 because it has a partial third floor (also known as the roof) with a bunch of programming going on up there. The rest of the building included a leadership development room, academic achievement room, and an employment career training office for teens as well. Alyson made notes on the schemes so she had to take them with her, but we’re all excited and can’t wait to see what she brings us next time. Click here to see the plan the Teen Task Force favored.
 A few weeks ago the Task Force gathered at the future Teen Center with local community members from various youth serving organizations throughout the city to brainstorm on what a successful Teen Center would look and feel like. Some of the teens would argue that 7:30 was way too early to be up and running the visioning session with thirty eager community leaders. However, delicious bagels, fruit, and coffee woke the group up very quickly. Nothing like good food to get people energized! Each of us played a key role in running the visioning session, from doing small group ice breakers to giving a powerpoint, to running the actual session. For many of the Task Force members, this was our first time organizing and leading a presentation in front of a large group of adults. The visioning session made me feel like I was a mature and professional young adult. Towards the end, I led the group through a summary of all the ideas that we collaborated on. Some main themes that came up: The Teen Center needs to be a place where all groups of teens feel welcome. We should emphasize outreach to all teens, while not just focusing solely on low risk teens or high risk teens. Coordination between other city agencies and organizations is key. Also, non-duplication of services is essential. “50% business, 50% fun” is an idea that rose out of a focus group we held earlier this summer. This has become a new motto for how we are planning to shape the programming of the future Teen Center. Ultimately, we will use the feedback and ideas gathered from the visioning session to formulate the vision statement for the future Teen Center.
 It seems like procrastination has always been a part of the human mind and is permanently put in there. In life, you are assigned to do some things ahead of time yet it never fails that you wait until the last minute. And of course as you’re trying to crunch time and finish the assignment, a thousand and one things either attempt or succeed in distracting you. So as I sit here trying to remember what exactly happened in our meeting from about three weeks ago with Noll & Tam I realize that once again procrastination has come back to bite me. As we all sat at the table awaiting the new design concepts that Noll & Tam were going to present to us, you could see some of the anticipation in our eyes. This was not the first concept they had showed us, but still just the general excitement of seeing another design was there. Or maybe the energy was just coming from the delicious cupcakes they had served us for snacks. But anyway they presented us two options. Option 1 seemed to be the ultimate favorite which made Option 2 to be in no one’s favor. Doesn't it always seem like when you have to choose between two things one just pops out at you and the other just fades to the side? Well that's how it felt at the meeting. Option 1 was creative and allowed us to build even more great ideas into it, including the idea of having a cafe on the roof, which by the way I strongly support and stand up for whole heartily. Which put Option 2 even more in the back burner. But as we further discussed Option 1 it seemed to cause a great white elephant in the room amongst the adults. MONEY!! And of course the ever so faithful issue of the amount of spaces in the parking lot. But yes money seems to be the root of all evil at time doesn't it? The problem was that Option 1 was going to cost us an extreme amount of money. I mean, of course this whole project is expensive but Option 1 sounded way over our budget. And as the money discussion arose the Teen Task Force became quite. It was like when a child is shopping with their parent and the parent says to them, “no we cannot buy that, it is too expensive” and the child begins to think of ways to bargain with the parent. Well the teens were the children and the adults were the parents. But no idea in this project is ever shutdown because of money. There are ways to work around it, especially when we come together and think of ways to do so. So once again we all depart from another meeting with these things pondering in our minds only to prepare to present our ideas at the next session. Want to know more about the Teen Center construction budget?
 Our visioning training with Tracy Shear from the Berkeley Alliance was a tool-learning meeting so that we (the teen task force) would know how to run our very own visioning session at the community engagement breakfast. This class had many components and took sort of a long time, so while sitting there I made a mental note to not let ours drag on that long when we did it-but we were still only learning. I will admit the training got us all thinking, but for me, I had just a tad of a harder time searching my mind to find the answer to what a successful teen center would look like while trying to look ten years into the future. Later, I found it easier to come up with ideas with my group where I wasn’t the only one thinking. I wasn’t nervous about speaking in front of people and running this breakfast at all. I guess public speaking comes easy to me when I’m not looking for something to say. In the end the breakfast was a huge success and went pretty smoothly for the most part. I had fun, I got to miss school for crying out loud. Lolz. Click here to find out what Lolz means.
 If you've ever been down at the station chatting it up with the Lieutenant, or skating in MLK park with the bros, you've probably noticed the big abandoned building on the corner of Center and MLK. This old cement box is going be transformed into the YMCA's new teen center come 2009-2010. This video will show you what the building looks like now, and it will give you a little preview of what we're planning to do with it. Hopefully, we'll look back on this short clip someday and laugh in triumph over what we have accomplished. For now this lonely structure waits in anticipation of Extreme Makeover: Multi-Use Building Edition.
 Ok, so about two week ago Tracy, Kevin and I went to the family home of Board Members of a local family foundation to ask them for a donation for the future Teen Center. As we rode in Kevin’s car many thoughts were going through my mind like “What if they say no”. I mean, I had never done this before so I was a bit nervous. When we got there they greeted us at the door and we introduced ourselves. We had our meeting on their dining table, so it helped me relax and feel more comfortable. The whole family was nice and I could see in them that they were enthusiastic to hear what we had to say. Kevin started off talking about the Capital Campaign and answered questions about the money stuff. I followed to show them what the inside of the building looked as of then. I showed them how the first level will all be used by teens and the second level would house office staff from Metro. Tracy and Kevin were a great support because when I could not recall the names of organizations they reminded me. We then asked them if they had any questions and excitingly they did….for me too. They asked whether or not I thought teens would assist the Center and I confidently answered “YES”. I feel and know that teens at Berkeley High and the community need the educational and self empowering support. They also gave us some great feedback and brought many things to our attention like the possibility of having a gray water system, geothermal and radiant heating, as well as other things. Overall, I think I had nothing to worry about they were great people that helped create a comforting atmosphere that made our presentation a success. Check back with us again soon – when we find out whether or not the foundation will fund the new Teen Center we’ll post it here! See parts of the presentation to the family foundation. (click here)
 Concept Design Charrette: A meeting in which possibilities are discussed in regards to the design and structure of a particular building. A phase of the design process that the Teen Task Force got to experience first hand in the offices of Noll & Tam. Coming together to brainstorm, we all sat around a rectangular wooden table. The architects soon began to introduce the exercise that we were to complete. We were given guidance as to what our boundaries were, what was acceptable, not acceptable, and certain measures that we were to take into consideration. Following the excursion of guidance, being put into three groups were the least of our troubles. Our task: create a schematic of the YMCA Teen Task Force. Schematic: a visual representation of the design and structure of a building. Members of the Teen Task Force, complete with guidance and excitement were given all the physical supplies that would be needed to complete the task at hand. Included in this were: a poster board, pieces of what looked like scratch paper, but were actually pieces of paper that represented different things that would need to go in the teen center such as bathrooms, offices, elevators etc. The supplies also included a complex 3D ruler with numbers engraved on each side which turned out to be a architectural ruler, and writing utensils in case we felt an urgent desire to write something on the poster board in which all of the scraps of papers had to be glued on within the timeframe: 45 minutes. There sat members of the Teen Task Force in utter confusion. But with great hope to complete our first charrette for the YMCA Teen Center, we began our journey. Despite the confusion that hovered over us, we encouraged one another and shared thoughts in our efforts to complete the charrette before the time was up. With great collaboration and creativity, the first schematics of the YMCA Teen Center were completed by none other than the Teen Task Force. Now, it was time to present each group's schematic to the rest of the groups and attendees of the meeting. The presentations were successful and the charrette expanded our visual ability to understand the possibilities of the design and structure of the YMCA Teen Center Building. See the concept drawings that resulted from this process.
 We held our first teen focus group for the programming phase of the future teen center. Each of the teen task force members were asked to bring a teen to attend the focus group. We gave the teens a tour of the building so they got a sense of what we were planning on talking about when we arrived at Noll and Tam’s office for the focus group. Once we arrived at Noll and Tam’s office, Anthony Bernier, PhD. reviewed with the group the results from the previous community interviews. We then voted on the aspects we felt were of higher priority and put the ideas into two groups, A and B. For example lighting, ventilation, colors of walls and adding a green view were some of the community’s concerns. After a list of important and not-so-important criteria was compiled, we divided into two groups. Each group took one of the lists of priorities and was given the task of narrowing that list down by further discussing which items were really important or which weren’t. Another important piece to the hard work that we were doing was stuffing our faces with food a majority of the time. Remember; teens love food.The end result was a list of approximately about ten important aspects to include in the future teen center and ten not-so-important aspects. That was our first teen focus group for the programming phase of creating the new YMCA Teen Center. What were the top 10 important aspects of the future teen center? Click here to find out!
 After officially hiring Noll & Tam, the Teen Task Force decided to start things off with a kick-off meeting. After great discussion, we developed a list of people to invite. Included in the meeting were the YMCA Teen Task Force, YMCA Board representatives, YCMA Teen Department staff, and Noll & Tam Architects. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the project overview, establish project parameters, and to begin project visioning. The architectural firm was introduced to the YMCA attendees by a Teen Task Force member who simply stated who Noll & Tam Architectural Firm is and how we came to our decision of hiring them as our architects. Following introductions, each attendee briefly explained one thing that they felt is important about the future Berkeley YMCA Teen Center. We discussed the project schedule and work plan that will take place. During the kick-off meeting, the community process was elaborated. Stakeholders were identified. Noll & Tam presented a PowerPoint presentation that exemplified teen spaces and teen cultures. The presentation represented what the teen culture is like and how the teen culture is important to include during the process of developing the new Berkeley YMCA Teen Center. As a group, the Teen Task Force, Noll & Tam, and the YMCA family identified goals and expectations for the future Teen Center project. These expectations and goals were expressed by every attendee in his or her opinion and were written down and later voted on by everyone to come to a consensus as to what are the top three most important aspects that need to be included in the Teen Center. These top three aspects are natural light and energy, outdoor space, and a welcoming energy. This meeting was productive in the sense that it gave us all opportunities to open our minds to new ideas, goals, and expectations. Each person who attended expressed his or her ideas freely, and the group accepted them whole-heartedly. This kick-off meeting reminded us all that the Teen Center will not only effect teens but adults and the community as a whole as well. Throughout the process it is important for us to remain open to any suggestions, ideas, or even opposition because it is through these types of things that we will grow strong and create a Teen Center that is successful.
 After weeks of extensive research, discussion, and many meetings, the Berkeley-Albany YMCA Teen Task Force has chosen Noll & Tam Architects as the architect for the highly anticipated teen center, to be housed in the old PG&E building. Noll & Tam is very compatible with this project for numerous reasons. I feel the Task Force was particularly drawn to them because of their experience with similar projects. Currently, they are working with the City of Pleasanton to develop a master plan and concept design for a new youth center. They also designed a teen study area at the Carmichael Library in Sacramento. These buildings are just two examples of the relevant experience that we feel the team will bring to our project. By the end of interview process, the Task Force had identified a firm whose chemistry matched our group dynamic and the desired outcomes for the project. I was especially impressed by their team’s ability to directly connect to us as teens, the radiant enthusiasm that was consistently demonstrated throughout their presentation, and the genuine commitment that they showed toward the project. As part of their team, the Task Force will be working with Anthony Bernier, an educational consultant who will conduct focus groups with different community members as part of the programming phase. I’m really excited about hearing his insights on this very important stage of the process, and hope that his findings will guide us in the right direction as the Task Force works to balance what Berkeley teens need and want to get out of the Center. Even though the Task Force is now on summer vacation from school, the hard work will continue, as we begin to work more closely with the firm in the programming phase. I, along with the other Task Force members, attended a kickoff meeting with Noll & Tam and Berkeley community members on Monday June 16th. Hopefully, everyone who participated in the meeting now has a clearer idea of who the firm is and the direction that the project is headed in. All participants were included in a mini brainstorming session, in which they got to name a few things that they would like to see happening in the Teen Center. On June 25th, the Task Force will hold a day long interview session in which we talk with various community stakeholders about what they envision happening in the Teen Center. I think that the primary goal is to reach a cross section of educators, students, city employees, and non-profit organizations, so that we can start to collaboratively brainstorm and discuss different ideas.
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