Nevada City youth promote literacy

by Dawn Zydonis
Parks and Recreation Coordinator, City of Nevada City

After some time off for the holidays, the doors are open at the Nevada City Youth Center, a joint project offered by Camp Fire USA and Nevada City Parks & Recreation. On Jan. 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, the youth started a fantastic service project.

Thank you to B&C True Value Hardware for donating supplies that were used by the youth to build bookshelves that will be placed in public locations around town. The goal is to promote literacy by making books more easily accessible. The youth built these shelves with very little guidance, and their carpentry skills are quite impressive. Now that the bookshelves are built, the next step is to paint them and collect books to fill the shelves. Parents stopped by to check out the program, along with Richard Schwartz of the Juvenile Justice Commission and Douglas Hooper, who has volunteered to teach a photography class.

The Youth Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a variety of activities for youth ages 10 to 15, such as photography and beginning art. Future program plans include ski trips and summer activities. Anyone interested in learning more about the program, donating books or sponsoring a youth can contact Camp Fire USA at (916) 635-3435, www.campfireusa-sac.org or Nevada City Parks & Recreation at (530) 265-2496; www.nevadacityca.gov.

The City of Nevada City/Nevada City Youth Center is a Fall 2007 REACH Program Improvement grantee.