Midcoast Youth Center Receives Dual Support for Youth and Families
Midcoast Youth Center & Skatepark (MYC) is thrilled to announce two new community projects, that will dramatically enhance support for local youth and families. These efforts from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MaineHousing (MSHA), are investments that will help strengthen MYC’s position as a community hub for resources that ensure well-being for all young people and their families so they can reach their fullest potential and become compassionate leaders of tomorrow.
Strengthening Families 10-14 Program: A Pioneering Initiative. In a groundbreaking partnership with the Maine CDC and RSU 1, Midcoast Youth Center will serve as a pilot site for the Strengthening Families: Parents and Youth 10-14 Program. This evidence-based program, developed at Iowa State University’s Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, aims to support parents and teenagers in developing critical communication and understanding skills.
“Being a parent is hard. Being a kid is harder,” said Holly Spence, a new facilitator for the program, “and now that I have been trained as a facilitator, I can say I would have hands-down loved to have been educated in this program when my boys were 10-14 years old.” Spence said, “I’m excited that this program is free to all participating families thanks to support from the Maine CDC! The research suggests this investment will have a positive ripple effect beyond the initial cohorts of parents and kids that participate. It’s like a protective factor for our community.”
The first cohort of 10 families will launch on January 21st and the program will provide them with tools, skills and strategies to build stronger families. To learn more about the program Strengthening Families: Parents and Youth 10-14, or how to register online, please contact Nicole Brassard at nicole@midcoastyouth.org or visit midcoastyouth.org
Housing & Homelessness Support Expanding. A grant from the state-funded Emergency Housing Relief Fund, (EHRF) awarded by MaineHousing, Maine’s housing finance agency, will enable the creation of a new Director of Youth Housing & Homeless Prevention position will enable the creation of a new Director of Youth Housing & Homeless Prevention position. The director will help MYC deepen the work of stabilizing the lives of young people and providing a foundation for the journey through school and their leap to adulthood. This person will take over the supervision and programming support of the Step Up Housing units in Bath. Additionally, the director will guide advocacy and education within the wider community including Sagadahoc County, Brunswick & Harpswell. Learn more about the position through the MYC posting on Indeed.
The director position will complement the 20-plus years of youth and family outreach support done by Donna Verhoeven through MYC’s Merrymeeting Support Collaborative for Youth Experiencing Homelessness, formerly known as Merrymeeting Project, which formed in response to the closure of the Bath Children’s Home, occurred in 1996. Merrymeeting Project moved to MYC in 2018, after the loss of state funding threatened its future.
Executive Director Jamie Dorr expressed profound gratitude for the state’s investment: “These state-level investments are a testament to the value of supporting our youth and families. By providing targeted resources for housing stability and family communication, Maine is making a powerful statement about our community’s future. We’re not just addressing immediate needs but investing in the long-term potential of our young people in Bath and beyond.”
Support the Mission with a Match: As MYC celebrates these transformative investments, they invite their community to join this opportunity to invest in local youth. The MYC Unlock Possibilities: 50 Days to $50K end-of-year annual appeal provides an opportunity for individuals to directly contribute to the mission of unlocking the inherent potential of every young person while empowering them to thrive. All gifts made between now and the end of year will be matched up to $50,000.