A new Youth and Family Center has opened its doors inside the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA's West Y location on Silver Lake Road.

The facility hosts multiple basketball courts, a walking track, a sport court, and a multi-functional lounge area. Construction of a bouldering wall is expected to be completed soon. A slate of new programming will kick off in the center in February, including Adult and Youth Futsal, Adult Dodgeball, Short Sports, Parent and Me Fitness, Sport and Agility Training, Middle School Intramural Sports, Teen Fitness, ‘Bata Bing ‘Bata Bootcamp, and birthday parties.

“Initial reception of the Youth and Family Center has been off the charts,” says Jay Buckmaster, Y president and CEO. “It has exceeded our expectations in every way.”

Buckmaster says the YMCA created the center because families with kids ages 8-16 were an "underserved" demographic at the facility, and that board members were concerned about "disturbing trends" of childhood obesity, social isolation, and disengagement in area youth.

“This affirmed what some of our other research had also uncovered,” he says. “That kids ages 5-16 spend up to six hours a day in front of a screen, and kids ages 8-18 are spending up to over seven hours of screen time daily.” Buckmaster says untethering kids from their electronic devices is one of the goals of the Youth and Family Center.

The new facility is also intended to act as a "bridge" to future phase II expansion plans fror the West Y, including a full basketball court and running/walking track, according to Buckmaster.