Hailey Weathers likes to spend her summers playing volleyball in the sand with her friends at Chicago’s beaches, taking breaks in between games with dips in Lake Michigan.
But sometimes the 14-year-old feels like adults are scrutinizing everything she and her friends do, especially if they are in a big group. Hailey knows that’s because some large gatherings of teens have become disruptive.
But being watched and unfairly judged like that makes her feel uncomfortable, she said.
“Why do teens get blamed for stuff that we’re not doing?” Hailey said.
That’s why this summer Hailey is also at the South Side YMCA three days a week. She’s in the gym, in the computer lab or chatting with friends.
Hailey is one of thousands of teens who signed up to be a member this summer through the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Get Summer program, a partnership with the city offering free memberships to 12- to 18-year-olds. It’s Hailey’s first time being a member.
Nearly 3,100 teens have registered through the program since June at seven Ys across the city, with the South Side location receiving more than a third of signups. The YMCA couldn’t say how many teens were first-time members, but leaders at participating sites have noticed an uptick in foot traffic and many new faces.
Some locations with large amounts of newcomers have had space issues, but officials say that’s a good problem to have. Discussions are ongoing about repeating the program next year.
Hailey, who is going into ninth grade at Gary Comer College Prep, would love to come back.
“They should do this next summer because it gets me out of the house and I can hang around people I trust,” she said.
Officials with the YMCA hoped that as many as 5,000 young people would sign up by the time the program ends Aug. 31. As of Monday, the organization had logged 3,083 Get Summer registrations.
Though the organization will likely fall short of its original target, “seeing as though this is our first time launching a program like this, we consider it extremely successful,” a spokesperson for the YMCA said in an email.
At the South Side Y, 1,179 young people have signed up — the most out of the seven locations offering free memberships. The McCormick YMCA in the Logan Square and Humboldt Park area recorded 510 registrations, the second-most.
Officials announced the free membership program after a Memorial Day weekend marred by so-called “teen takeovers,” large gatherings of young people organized on social media that have sometimes turned violent.
To curb the gatherings, some local officials have suggested stricter curfew laws, more arrests and fines for parents whose children are disruptive. Mayor Brandon Johnson and YMCA officials countered that the better answer is to offer young people more free or affordable activities and safe places to meet.
The free membership initiative was funded entirely through philanthropic sources, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office. Mielle Cares, a foundation that advocates for the mental well-being of young people, created a $250,000 fund to expand youth-centered gathering opportunities in the city, including the Get Summer program.
Royce Holmes, 15, doesn’t know what the right approach is to keep large teen gatherings safe, but he doesn’t think the solution is to heavily restrict where teens can go. Increasingly, malls, movie theaters and other businesses limit when teens can visit without an adult chaperone.
“I feel like it kind of takes a big chunk of our free will,” Royce said. “For us to be banned from a spot or have to be gone from there at a certain time just doesn’t sound right.”
Royce, a rising sophomore at Leo Catholic High School, signed up for a free membership at the South Side YMCA this summer, too, though he also worked at the location for a few weeks last year through a summer program.
He can often be found on the basketball court, fighting for rebounds, dishing out assists and practicing his shooting stroke. He’s noticed more people his age at the location this summer. The increase in members have made pickup games more competitive and fun, he said.
Royce Holmes will sometimes go to teen-centered events in the city but leaves if the crowds get too big. “I’ll usually go for the music, the people, especially if I have friends with me, but I just don’t want to stay around those types of things for too long because they just become takeovers,” he said.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Kevin McGowan, who was senior executive director of the South Side YMCA until earlier this month, said the basketball gym is one of the most popular gathering spaces for the new teen members. The location’s pool, fitness center and computer lab are also crowded.
McGowan said sign-ups at the South Side location have exceeded expectations, but they haven’t maxed out their capacity. To manage the flow, staff keep tabs on activity schedules and let teens know when spaces are available to them. Plus, teens don’t show up all at once, they trickle in throughout the day.
“It’s crowded in here, no doubt, but we haven’t really had an issue with too many people in the building,” McGowan said. “Of course, the old people don’t like having young people around, but they get over it.”
He thinks the South Side location has seen the most new teen registrations because there aren’t many places in the area where kids have lots of options to keep busy and just be themselves.
On the Northwest Side, the pool at the McCormick YMCA has been one of the most active spots for young people this summer, according to Mallory Munzel, who oversees youth programming at YMCAs across the city.
The new crowds there have led staff to be judicious about how many people are allowed in the gym at the same time, but they haven’t had any other issues with capacity, Munzel said.
“It’s exciting to see this many teens in the building every day,” she added. “I would imagine based on the level of engagement that, probably, we will do it again.”
While many teens come in to play basketball, swim or lift weights, some don’t feel like doing anything in particular, Munzel said.
Youth-centered programs often forget: Sometimes all a teen needs is a space that allows them to do nothing, and there aren’t many places for teens to do that, she said. Chicago Ys have couches where teens can relax and vending machines with snacks in the common areas. The South Side Y has a “teen lounge” with video games and a ping pong table.
“Some of them just want to hang out with their friends,” Munzel said “They’re just here to chill.”
Royce and Hailey prefer being in smaller groups. They have come across flyers on social media for large gatherings at the beach or Downtown but they avoid them because they’ve also seen videos of the disruptions that can break out.
They both plan on telling friends and young family members about the YMCA’s programs so they know about those alternatives.
“It’s easier to have a good time here,” Royce said, “It feels more free.”