Dedication of New REACH Ashland Youth Center

By Bay City News

A state-of-the-art youth center that will serve youths in the Ashland community in unincorporated Alameda County was dedicated at a ceremony today.

Alameda County officials say they believe the REACH Ashland Community Center, a $23 million redevelopment project, is the largest facility of its kind in the country.

REACH offers a variety of services and is an acronym for recreation, education, art and culture, careers and health.

County officials said the 31,500-square-foot center, located at 16335 East 14th St. and 163rd Avenue in San Leandro, is the result of a decade-long effort led by local youth who mobilized because they felt Ashland, an enclave between San Leandro and Castro Valley, lacked adequate recreational opportunities and services for youth.

Among the community's problems are gang violence and some of Alameda County's highest school dropout and teen pregnancy rates, according to county officials.
 
The youth center, which provides all of its services to youth free of charge, includes a community health clinic, library, day care facility, multi-media room, dance studio, weight room, arts room and a café.

It is managed by the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and is operated in conjunction with a number of community partners, including
La Clinica de la Raza, the San Lorenzo Unified School District, the Hayward
Area Recreation and Park District, the Alameda County Library and the Alameda
County Deputy Sheriffs' Activities League.

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, whose district includes Ashland, said in a statement, "The focus is on youth, but this facility really is a beacon of hope for the entire Ashland community."

He said, "It has the power to transform the lives of young people who until now have had little or no access to the many opportunities and services that are available here."

County officials said the youth center has transformed a stretch of East 14th Street that had been run-down and is bringing new architecture and increased foot traffic to a community that had lacked a central gathering space.

They said the youth facility is the centerpiece of a new youth complex that also includes the newly-constructed Jack Holland Sr. Park and the new open multi-use gymnasium at Edendale Middle School.

Pedro Naranjo, the Center's Executive Director, said in a statement, "A lot of groups and individuals have come together to make this project happen. We are in the process of accomplishing something very special."

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