Uncertainty looms amongst youth and parents at the Kirkland Teen Union Building.

Two weeks ago, the Bellevue YMCA laid off the entire staff, which took effect April 2. The YMCA, which has operated the city-owned KTUB since last July, cited the move was an effort to reorganize the staffing structure at the teen center.

KTUB doors are closed this week and have left youth wondering what will become of the teen center’s future.

During the Kirkland Council meeting on Tuesday, many youth and parents came to show their support for KTUB staff and to express their outrage and disappointment about the decision.

In a simple but powerful gesture, one young lady handed out some flowers to each of the council members.

“I brought you flowers because I wanted to give you something beautiful,” she told the council, explaining how KTUB staff has contributed to her individual growth. “KTUB has something special … They have staff that doesn’t just say they work for me, but they work with me. And they have all given me very beautiful gifts.”

Many applauded her comments.

Others asked the council to suspend the lay-offs and questioned the YMCA’s new staff model. New staff will be considered “generalists,” according to Joan Steberl, senior director for Eastside operations of the YMCA. However, many youth feel a program specialist with specialized experience, under the old model, would better serve their needs.

We believe the Bellevue YMCA should have consulted with youth before they made the decision to lay off KTUB staff. Because youth were not consulted, the layoffs and subsequent temporary closure of KTUB seemed abrupt. It’s no wonder many youth feel alienated from their “second home” at KTUB and feel left out of the decision-making process.

KTUB is a teen-driven, teen-inspired facility and as such any decisions involving the center should involve teen input.

YMCA Executive Director Keri Stout said the reorganization efforts are intended to “ensure the continued viability, growth and community impact at KTUB.”

“It saddens us that there are youth that are questioning our commitment to them,” Stout said during the council meeting Tuesday. “Staffing changes were driven by our dedication to creating only the best environment for them, and we’re sorry that those changes have been perceived otherwise.”

We believe that the Bellevue YMCA is deeply committed to the well-being of Eastside youth. However, we question the YMCA’s abstract answers. How will these new changes create a better environment for youth? How will these changes ensure KTUB’s continued viability?

During Tuesday’s meeting, Sara Biancofiore, Eastside regional youth director for the YMCA, said the organization has a long history of seeking and incorporating youth’s voices into programming and activities. To that end, she said, the YMCA surveyed KTUB youth in March and asked for their input. Several youth told the Reporter last week that based on that survey, the two most important areas to KTUB teens are staff and programs. But the YMCA laid off the entire KTUB staff and therefore did not listen to youth.

Whatever the staff model and programming at KTUB becomes, we hope the YMCA consults with youth moving forward. The YMCA should involve youth with the hiring process and any program changes and honor KTUB’s history of youth involvement.