Why the Y? Being at the YMCA feels like home

“Be yourself, belong in community and become your best…” is the motto that the YMCA follows. The Y encourages people to recognize their value as individuals, have a sense of belonging, and to become the best version of themselves. Although this saying is quite inwardly focused, the Y creates an environment for personal development to be done in a collaborative way, a place where physical, emotional, financial and spiritual growth can be accomplished as one big family. The YMCA of Bayview Hunters Point is no exception to this motto of growth. But how do they accomplish this? 

A brief history of the Y 

The YMCA was originally founded during 1844 in London by a man named George Williams. When Williams worked as a draper, he saw the terrible working conditions for young men during the time and decided to create the Young Men’s Christian Association. Williams original intention for the Y was to create a place where young men wouldn’t be tempted by sin. However, since its inception, the Y has evolved immensely to become the oldest but also the largest youth charity in the world. 

The Y emphasizes youth development and provides programs for youth to grow in many different areas. Some of these resources include: 

• Sports and physical wellness: swimming, flag football, basketball etc. 
• Career development: workshops, employment opportunities
• Mental health and physical health: groupwork, guest speakers, one on one therapy

and many more. The YMCA also takes advantage of their global presence to provide services at each location that are tailored to fit the needs of the people around them, creating a place for everyone that truly feels like home. 

Y the Bayview? 

So, what’s unique about the Bayview Y? There is no better place for answers than from the people who work in the community every day. The YMCA in the Bayview is also a recipient of the Kaiser Permanente’s Voices for Mental Health and Wellness Campaign grant that allows them to expand on critical programs that help the community.

First, I spoke with Associate Executive Director Drew Kodelja to get more information about the Bayview YMCA. When I asked him, “Why Bayview Hunters Point?” He told me a number of things that stood out to me, one of which being truancy. He says: “In Bayview Hunters Point, we know truancy is an issue in our communities and we run alternative education and truancy prevention programs. Not every YMCA does that.” 

Truancy has to do with kids having unexcused absences at school. This prevention is done through their C.A.R.E. (Center for Academic Re-entry and Empowerment) program, which utilizes case management and opportunities to earn credits for truant students. This is all with the intention of eventually getting kids to re enroll in traditional schooling.

Along with this, since the Bayview Y’s opening in 1996, it has been a place of safety for all of those who wanted to access their services. Although crime fluctuates in the area and is on a downward slope since 2025, assault and battery still represent the majority of crime incidents that happen in the area, accounting for 30.8% of all incidents. Even when violent crime isn’t a factor, people still need a place to get away from the drama and fear and the YMCA provides that for the community. 

I also talked to two former recipients of the YMCA’s services, now workers, Desiree Isles and Ashlee Garvin. Desiree works in the African American Holistic Wellness Department as the Active Older Adult Coordinator, while Ashlee is a Prenatal Family Advocate. They both had positive experiences growing up with the Y. 

Desiree grew up in the Bayview, and after attending the Y’s summer camp during the 5th grade decided later to become a youth camp counselor when she was a teenager. Her experience at the YMCA really made a lasting impression on her and after she came back from college, she started looking for job opportunities there and eventually was employed. Ashlee received case management services from the Y and her mother used to work there. Similarly, after graduating to become a community health worker, she found an opportunity with the organization. 

Both Desiree and Ashlee expressed how the Y of the Bayview is important for not only benefitting them but also all of those in the community. 

If you are looking for a positive community or even a career as Drew, Desiree and Ashlee were, consider the Y. The YMCA is truly paving the way for the next generation! 

Landon Willis is a writing and media intern with the San Francisco Bay View newspaper. He is a second-year marketing student at San Francisco State University and a special reporter on the San Francisco Kaiser Permanente Voices for Mental Health and Wellness Campaign. In addition to school, Landon enjoys exercise, music, and hanging out with friends. He is very passionate about film and acting and is currently working on creating his own feature film.

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