Family Y's Rec Room Fills A 'Crevice'

By 250 News

Laura, Mark, and Steven Buchanan tackle the Y's rock wall

Prince George, B.C. -  The Family YMCA's new Rec Room officially opened back on May 1st and, since then, the youth-oriented space has been filling a void -- or in rockclimbing terms, a 'crevice' -- in the community.

The 2500-square foot space features a climbing wall, floor-to-ceiling playgym, as well as plenty of space for games and comfortable sectionals to relax on.

The Y's Marketing and Communications Manager, Kathleen Daniel, says the Rec Room was designed to appeal to youths, but "with a more family-feel."  Daniel says the goal is to really unite families by providing a space with something for everyone -- both child and parent can climb the rock wall or engage in a game of air hockey.

She says feedback has been really positive, "People are excited about the space, they're saying it's really unique to Prince George."

Part of that unique experience is Youth Ambassador Colleen Bush, who works in the Rec Room.  (She's shown in the photo at left helping 8-year-old Laura Buchanan at the climbing wall)

Bush and her colleague, Beth Weninger, take it upon themselves to develop a real rapport with the kids dropping by for a play.  And they know all 'the regulars' by name.  "That's one of my most favourite parts of the job," she says, "That you get to spend enough time with the kids that you build relationships with them and see them develop." 

While the Rec Room is not childminding, older kids can stay on their own, and Bush says, "We hear from a lot of kids that they're so happy that when their parents come for a work-out, they get to do their 'work-out', too -- they call it their work-out, which is neat."

The Rec Room plans to introduce some new programs in September -- a parent & tot group, after-school program, and school fieldtrips -- to draw even more people in to this exciting new venue.

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