LONGMONT, Colo. – The City of Longmont’s Children, Youth and Families division (CYF) invites families to a “Welcome Back” celebration on Friday, August 27 from 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Youth Center, located at 1050 Lashley Street. With a focus on health and safety, celebration materials will be provided in a grab-and-go setting. Visitors will receive Jimmy John’s food and crafting projects for a variety of ages. Staff will also be available to share resources and registration information about upcoming programs.

“The Youth Center provides students with a safe space to socialize and study,” said Christina Pacheco, division manager of Children, Youth & Families. “Not having this resource available during COVID has been difficult for many kids, so a celebration is very much in order.”

“I feel safe here,” said M., a Youth Center participant. “I get to meet new kids and I always feel welcome. I appreciate all that the staff here do for us kids.”

As part of the welcome back celebration, CYF is also announcing new programming that will travel to City and neighborhood parks beginning in September. “Before COVID, we would transport youth from select schools to the Youth Center in our van,” said Pacheco. “While youth enjoyed the opportunity, it was inefficient, often requiring multiple trips to transport even one group of students. With our new pop-up programming we’ll bring Youth Center activities to more youth in various City and neighborhood parks.”

Pop-ups are created for middle- and high-school aged students. They’ll include a variety of crafts and sports, food, team-building exercises and opportunities to develop life skills and social skills. Activities will vary by location, leveraging the resources each facility offers. Locations will include a variety of parks, including Kensington, Carr, and others, as well as neighborhoods like Countryside Village of Longmont, Casa de la Esperanza, and more.

The program will launch in September at Loomiller Park, where pop-ups will appear every Tuesday (September 7, 14, 21, and 28) from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Families interested in receiving additional details and updates can subscribe via text by sending the word “fun” to (833) 436-1350. Updates will also be posted at facebook.com/longmontyouthcenter.

For more information, please visit bit.ly/cyflongmont or call the Youth Center at 303-651-8580.