The Community Education Building in Wilmington opens a new Youth Development Center on the city’s East Side.
The 42,000 square-foot Youth Development Center opened late last month, and it includes smart learning and enrichment spaces, a black box theater, and an early learning component anchored by the YMCA Early Learning Academy.
The center also features a gymnasium and fitness center, and officials say it gives youth a safe place to engage after school, evenings and on weekends.
"It also has some classrooms for flexible classrooms intended to be available for community groups for meetings and for events like our YDC Fest," said Linda Jennings is CEO of the Community Education Building.
The hope is that it provides the city’s young people and families a dedicated space where youth can learn, connect, create, develop new skills and access opportunities designed to help them thrive.
"It's really about access right now, and it'll be about activation, bringing to life through partners and programming, youth voice, anything that's needed,” said Jennings. “And then really aligning around all the great things that are being provided to youth, but bringing them over to the East Side as well. And providing that space of opportunity for that. That's what it's about."
Jennings notes meals will be served after school like in their main building.
The $19 million to build the center was made possible from public and private donations.
