Zach Gordon Youth Center

[12/28/20]   Edit: this event will be postponed until next month. 🌈

Tonight at the Zach!

We are transitioning to a new online registration system. CivicRec launches on Monday, December 28 at 8 am, replacing eTrak.

Through CivicRec, you will have a one-stop shop for all things Parks & Recreation. You can reserve shelters and equipment online, register for sports and activities, purchase pool and Treadwell Arena memberships, and – just after the New Year – reserve Parks & Recreation’s brand new Amalga Cabin located in Amalga Meadows Park. The new system will also allow you to have your entire family on one account.

Starting Monday, December 28, access CivicRec at juneau.org/parks-recreation. Winter shelter reservations and equipment rentals will be immediately available. Then, on Tuesday at 8:30 am, reservations for pool space at Dimond Park Aquatic Center and Augustus Brown Pool will open.

If you have an account with Parks & Recreation on eTrak, your CivicRec account might already be created. For individuals with active pool memberships, Parks & Recreation has transferred your account. On December 28, try logging into CivicRec with your email and your eTrak password. If you need assistance logging into your account or setting up a new one, call 586-0424 or 586-0426 Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm.

We had an awesome time ice skating today! There is still lots of space to sign up on December 29th from 12:30-2. Call us at 586-2635 to reserve a spot!

Our staff and volunteers, along with the Juneau Parks & Recreation crew successfully hosted Solstice Drive-In Bingo last night! We had over 20 cars attend and play. We gave out parks passes and homemade goodies as prizes and it was so much fun! Happy Solstice everyone!
ROCK Juneau #JNUkindnessfest2020 #JNUkindessfest2020strangers

Our LGBTQ+ youth group will be doing some outdoor cooking this month. Coming up this Monday! 🍕

Youth! Are you looking for something to do over winter break? How about ice skating?! Space is limited and masks are required. Give us a call to sign up!

ROCK Juneau

Yay Kindness

Check out the adjusted schedule for school district meal distribution over winter break!

Check this out! Juneau Public Libraries and NAMI Juneau have partnered up to provide some free goodies for the ROCK Juneau #JNUkindnessfest2020

#JNUkindnessfest2020neighbors
Juneau Public Libraries joins ROCK Juneau and community friends to honor Kindness to Neighbors this week. In partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) JPL is offering "Happy Bags!" to check out, which include yummy treats, stress relieving goodies, and 3 library items. Yes, library items must be returned - the rest are yours to keep! Available through the month of January!

This week’s theme for the #JNUkindnessfest2020 is kindness to neighbors! This week the YEP crew has been building a cornhole set for the center that our neighbors can play! What are you doing this week to show kindness to those in your life?? ROCK Juneau

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have broadened the scope of what scholarship funds will pay for! Click here for more info: https://juneau.org/parks-recreation/zach-gordon/youth-scholarship-program

Aidan, an AmeriCorps volunteer in our BAM Afterschool program, has been hard at work making 80 holiday cookie kits with over 400 cookies! These kits will be sent home with our current activity participants to decorate with their families, as well as others in the community. Happy Holidays from all of us at BAM ❄️✨☃️#jnukindnessfest2020

Great (FREE) opportunity for 16-17 year olds looking for adventure!

Applications for our 2021 expeditions are OPEN!!! The last day to start your application is January 22nd, and you can start it today by learning more here: https://www.inspiringgirls.org/ige-news-feed/2020/12/9/our-2021-application-is-live Help us spread the word by sharing it with your friends!! ❄️🏔
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🌞 “Throwing myself into this very large adventure has definitely planted a seed in my heart for it that I hope to help grow.” 🌞
-2019 Girls on Ice Cascades Participant
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#thisiswhatascientistlookslike #inspiringgirls #optoutside #forceofnature #sheadventures #outdoorwomen #girlsinstem #mountbaker @iarc_group @alaskaepscor @ceoasoregonstate @alpineclubcan @girlsonicecanada

BIPOC Teens! Bring your completed Native Heritage Month Bingo cards to be entered into a raffle for prizes from Trickster Company! You can find the bingo card in a previous post on this page. Also we will have an Indian Taco bar catered by Smokehouse Catering!

What a great way to connect with and support family members and friends who experience memory loss!

We have exciting news!

We're now able to introduce our new Memory Kits available to borrow if you're in Juneau.

Memory Kits are designed to spark memories and stimulate conversations between those with memory loss and their family and friends.

We have 10 different themed memory kits available and they will check out for four weeks. Kits contain books, DVDs, a CD, and 4 hands-on items. These kits are made possible by the All Of Us grant from the National Library of Medicine.

Please call us at 586-5249 if you would like to put a kit on hold or have any questions.

Sharing your pronouns is an inclusive practice that is especially important during this time, when so much of our lives are online. Whether you are a student in virtual school or a teleworking employee, we are all more often meeting new people for the first time, virtually. Sharing your pronouns right away is a great way to show respect and kindness, as well as avoid making assumptions about your new virtual classmates, students, coworkers or friends. You can visit mypronouns.org for more information.
#JNUkindnessfest2020 ROCK Juneau

It's that time again! The Youth Action Board is gathering (virtually and at the Zach) TODAY at 4:30pm. We'll be discussing some community questions from ROCK Juneau and more!

https://juneau.zoom.us/j/94992790755?pwd=NFhUYlJpNjlDektmS0xKVzFjRXo4UT09
Meeting ID: 949 9279 0755
Passcode: ZGYC

Juneau’s 3rd Annual Kindness Festival has been re-imagined to continue celebrating connection, resource sharing, community engagement, and kindness in a virtual potluck of kindness. ROCK Juneau is working hard to engage the Juneau community in virtual acts of kindness. Zach Gordon staff are participating, are you?!

Ty is our BAM Afterschool program coordinator. They are participating in this week's theme: Kindness to Animals.

“This is a picture of my cat, Dexter, and me hanging out! Dexter loves to explore outside, so I got him a harness and leash so I can safely take him out on sunny days. His interests include eating grass, rolling in dirt and sleeping on my lap in the hammock. #JNUkindnessfest2020 "

Use #JNUkindnessfest2020 to participate and keep an eye out for more examples of kindness from Zach Gordon staff members! ✨

Juneau’s 3rd Annual Kindness Festival has been re-imagined to continue celebrating connection, resource sharing, community engagement, and kindness in a virtual potluck of kindness. ROCK Juneau is working hard to engage the Juneau community in virtual acts of kindness. Zach Gordon staff are participating, are you?!

Aidan, an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Zach, is sharing kindness for family!

“This week’s theme for the kindness festival is family. I wanted to take this time to write an appreciation post to my family for everything they do. To my parents for always encouraging me and supporting me, and to my brother and sister for always being there and knowing I can call them at any time for any reason. #JNUkindnessfest2020 #JNUkindnessfest2020family”

Next week's theme is kindness to animals! Use #JNUkindnessfest2020 to participate and keep an eye out for more examples of kindness from Zach Gordon staff members! ✨

BAM is all set up for yoga today! 6th-8th grade students can sign up at cbjkids.org

An exciting leadership opportunity for LGBTQ+ youth in Alaska!

As we move into 2021, we are recruiting a team of youth to address obstacles faced by queer people in Alaska. Our goal is to select between 10 and 20 youth, who are 14 - 18 years old, self-identify as LGBTQ+, and live anywhere in Alaska. In addition to welcoming all queer youth to apply, we are specifically inviting queer and trans BIPOC youth, youth who hold multiple underserved identities, and/or who live in rural communities around Alaska (outside of Anchorage) to apply. Youth receive a $250 stipend for participation. If you are interested, read more about this opportunity on our web page or contact Justin (they/them), Identity's Youth Program Manager at [email protected]. The application deadline is January 6th.
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#QTBIPOC #LGBTQ #youth #youthactivism #activism #QueerAlaska #QueerVoices #QueerCommunity #Queer #LGBTQAlaska #QueerYouth #Alaska #YourVoiceYourFuture #ThrivingIn2021 #yourvoiceyourfuture

Outdoor Cooking got off to a yummy start today with nachos and hot chocolate! Who doesn't love nachos cooked over an open flame?

Thank you Merrill for creating such a beautiful part of our city and supporting our Youth Employment in Parks (YEP) crews over the last few years!

Jensen-Olson Arboretum manager Merrill Jensen is retiring and heading on to drier and sunnier pastures. For 13 years, Merrill has been weeding, planting, snow blowing, building, scaring bears, educating, guiding, creating, growing, and nurturing at the arboretum. He arrived in 2007 to a property of “good bones” as he called it, with a satellite dish, an old boathouse and some garden beds with some unique heirloom plants. Now he leaves it with a National Accreditation for the Primrose Collection, a rare and prestigious certification for such a young garden. The vision that Caroline Jensen laid out has been realized by Merrill’s work.

Merrill’s second to last season, 2019, was sunny, hot, and dry. This was great for some flowers, but in our temperate rain forest the plants rely on lots of water. For weeks in the middle of the summer he would get up throughout the night, every night to move the sprinklers and keep the plants watered. This 2020 season was a little different, there was plenty of water, but also lots of new challenges. For many weeks this spring, the Arboretum was the only public CBJ facility that remained open and welcomed thousands of visitors, well over the average for that time of year! Thirteen years of work culminated in a summer at the Arboretum of color, peace, and calm in a world of uncertainty.

Congratulations Merrill! Thank you for your generous gift of beauty to Juneau. We wish you well on your next great adventure.

Have you participated in Native American Heritage Month Bingo yet?! We have some exciting prizes on their way from Trickster Company that we are excited to give away! More information below!

ATTENTION BIPOC YOUTH

Who's ready for a bingo challenge?

@zachgordonyouthcenter and the BIPOC Teen Talk team are inviting teens to join in celebrating the resiliency of the Indigenous people with a fun BINGO challenge adapted from @center4native

Native American Heritage Month (NAHM) celebrates the resilience, resistance, and historic truths about Indigenous people and their communities.

We invite you to share with your friends and challenge you all to complete at least one row of BINGO with the honor system this NAHM.

Join @zachgordonyouthcenter and the BIPOC Teen Talk crew for our #PracticingIndigenousExcellence BINGO challenge!

You have until Wednesday, December 16th to complete a row and enter to win one of three raffle prizes from local, Indigenous-owned @trickstercompany

How to Win:
1. You must be a teen and complete at least one row (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) in this BINGO challenge in order to be entered for the raffle
2. Submit a picture of you completing at least one of the BINGO tasks along with a copy or picture of your completed BINGO card (at least 5 in a row) to [email protected] and share on your social media, if you wish, with the hashtags #PracticingIndigenousExcellence and #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
3. We will use the honor system!

GOOD LUCK and gunalchéesh from the BIPOC Teen Talk Crew

'We can't turn this down': New Xbox game brings Tlingit voices to the forefront

Join us on Tuesdays and help decide the fates of Alyson and Tyler! Teens 14+

Tell Me Why is an adventure game that takes place in the fictional southeast Alaska town of "Delos Crossing" based on Hoonah. The game features Tlingit supporting characters and explores aspects of Tlingit art & culture.
The game follows twins Alyson and Tyler through an intimate journey that explores trans identity, violence, and poverty.
Decisions made by the players affect the events and outcome of the game.

KTOO Article about "Tell Me Why"
https://www.ktoo.org/2020/11/14/we-cant-turn-this-down-new-xbox-game-brings-tlingit-voices-to-the-forefront/

Masks Required. Social Distancing Protocols must be observed.

ktoo.org “If somehow this improves the world that we live in locally here, and it can make things better for those that are not here yet, that is so classically Tlingit.”

Last chance to register for Yoga and Mindfulness! Free for 6th-8th grade students, regardless of which school they attend. More info and register here: https://juneau.org/parks-recreation/zach-gordon/bam

Have a great holiday everyone!

We reopen Saturday at 3pm

CBJ offices and facilities will be closed Thursday & Friday, November 26-27, for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday.

CBJ facilities, like the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Juneau Pools, and Zach Gordon Youth Center, will be back to their regular operating hours starting Saturday, November 28. Juneau Public Libraries will resume curbside pickup hours on Saturday.

Other CBJ offices will resume regular business hours (8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.) on Monday, November 30.

CBJ wishes the community a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

YOU can participate in the ROCK Juneau Kindness Festival virtually this year! Check it out!

How to participate in Juneau’s Kindness Festival:

Share a photo of your acts of kindness and tag @ROCKJuneau and add the #jnukindnessfest2020landandearth hashtag for this week so we can see and share your kindness in the community.

Each Friday at 2 pm we will host a Facebook Live event, join us as we celebrate kindness in our community.

Juneau’s 3rd Annual Kindness Festival has been re-imagined to continue celebrating connection, resource sharing, community engagement, and kindness in a virtual potluck of kindness. We've focused on kindness, connection, generosity, and hope for each other's wellbeing, NOW is the time that we must band together for the good we wish to see in our community.

#JNUkindnessfest2020 #bekind #kindnessmatters #bekindtoday #juneaualaska #juneauak #rockjuneau

ATTENTION BIPOC YOUTH

Who's ready for a bingo challenge?

@zachgordonyouthcenter and the BIPOC Teen Talk team are inviting teens to join in celebrating the resiliency of the Indigenous people with a fun BINGO challenge adapted from @center4native

Native American Heritage Month (NAHM) celebrates the resilience, resistance, and historic truths about Indigenous people and their communities.

We invite you to share with your friends and challenge you all to complete at least one row of BINGO with the honor system this NAHM.

Join @zachgordonyouthcenter and the BIPOC Teen Talk crew for our #PracticingIndigenousExcellence BINGO challenge!

You have until Wednesday, December 16th to complete a row and enter to win one of three raffle prizes from local, Indigenous-owned @trickstercompany

How to Win:
1. You must be a teen and complete at least one row (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) in this BINGO challenge in order to be entered for the raffle
2. Submit a picture of you completing at least one of the BINGO tasks along with a copy or picture of your completed BINGO card (at least 5 in a row) to [email protected] and share on your social media, if you wish, with the hashtags #PracticingIndigenousExcellence and #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
3. We will use the honor system!

GOOD LUCK and gunalchéesh from the BIPOC Teen Talk Crew

Spicy Water, our lgbtq+ group for teens, is having a game night! Join us on November 30th, for socially distanced games 🌈

Teens!! We're having another Youth Action Board gathering TODAY! We're interested in your thoughts and ideas and we'll compensate you ($$) to share them! See you TODAY at 4:30 at the Zach or on Zoom!

https://juneau.zoom.us/j/94723714933?pwd=K2ZMS3Z4c2I4bDlFQlI2ZVpZSjEyUT09

Meeting ID: 947 2371 4933
Passcode: ZGYC

We still have space available in our BAM Yoga and Mindfulness activity! Free for 6th-8th grade students, regardless of which school they attend. More info and register here: https://juneau.org/parks-recreation/zach-gordon/bam

We have another FREE activity for 6th-8th grade students, regardless of what school they attend, through our BAM Afterschool Program! Register using the link below or give us a call at 796-5811 to reserve a spot.
https://etrak-sw1.com/etrak/cp?org=78