Talk about a whirlwind! YC’s 2021 Winter-Spring season has been a wild one. Participants, volunteers, and staff have gone through a variety of programs during this 2021 season already. In true YC fashion, we saw our participants and volunteers adapt to all these changes and make the best of them. This season, while dynamic, to say the least, has been full of highlights!

The season started completely virtual on Zoom after the holiday season. As much as we love Zoom for keeping us connected, in February, we decided that it was time to see people’s faces directly and not over a computer screen. It had been way too long (since mid-November) that we had seen participants and volunteers at YC, and the building had been too quiet. We kicked off the in-person program season with our individual sessions. Our individual sessions, as the name implies, focused on one participant’s interests. These sessions ranged from playing baseball with Bald Sean (we miss you already, Sean!) to theater with Megan. While it was an excellent opportunity to get to know everyone on a more personal level, when May came around, everyone was ready to be in a group again. May was spent enjoying some of YC’s favorite program themes, from Sports Around the World to Recess Games.

For Bre Sprenger, YELP and Board Intern, her highlights of the Winter-Spring Season centered around YELP (Youth Empowerment and Leadership Program). For most of the season, we met every Wednesday night on Zoom. Each week was dedicated to various topics, but they were mainly focused on building our resilience and tips and tricks for better mental health. Bre particularly enjoyed talking about Brene Brown. If you do not know who she is, look up her TedTalk on “The Power of Vulnerability,” it is amazing. She encourages people to live life authentically and vulnerably; things that can be hard to do but are so worth it in the end! The best part for Bre might be coming back to in-person programs. Feeling life return to normalcy in healthy and safe ways has been huge. Like many of the YC staffers, Bre is eagerly waiting for a summer full of fun and in-person connection!