At the Washington United Youth Center, there is strength in numbers.
As in the number of teens who support each other in the Washington-Guadalupe neighborhood just south of downtown San Jose, where just walking the streets is a tenuous proposition because of a block-by-block patchwork of territorial gang claims.
As in the number of adult counselors, social workers and staff who work tirelessly to ensure young people in the neighborhood have a safe space to do homework, talk to someone about their lives, pick up a pool cue or take to the handball courts after school.
The youth center is a respite from the unrest that surrounds them. The conflicts and tensions that exist outside are checked at the door, led by a ban on wearing anything that could be considered promoting gang colors or culture. Teens who cluster in the halls are broken up and directed to the game room, or the gym: If you want to stay, you’ve got to be active.
“This is a neutral ground where everyone can coexist. Red, blue, whatever your neighborhood is, that stops at the door of the building,” said James McCaskill, senior director for community advocacy and family supports at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, which operates the center. “We provide emotional safety, being accepted for who they are as individuals. We’re taking away all the all the labels.”
That mission is echoed throughout the center’s halls, from both those who work there to the scores of teens who call the site a home away from home. Many of them are served through the organization’s Youth Empowerment for Success (YES) program that has worked with gang-impacted youth and young adults for two decades.
It’s not always easy to take the leap. Diana Espino, 16, remembers venturing to the center for the first time and not knowing anyone. The same went for 15-year-old Amy Ibarra, who attended a different school. But soon enough, they became fast friends.
“Everyone here, the longer you’re here, the closer you get to them,” Ibarra said.
A year from that chance encounter, Espino calls Ibarra her best friend. She also nods to the staff, who diligently keep up with their school and home lives.
“They’re really supportive of what you want to do. They show up to your school and check up on you,” she said. “They want to make sure you’re doing good.”
The communication goes both ways, which Ibarra says she appreciates.
“We’re able to talk to the staff here about anything,” Ibarra said. “They give me advice, and are always there.”
On the center’s indoor gyms one October evening, a group of teen boys were breaking a sweat playing handball. During a break in the action, they talked about the literal safety they say the center gives them.
“I feel safe here,” said Isaiah Rivera, 17. “It keeps me out of negative things, helps me stay out of trouble.”
His handball partner Tre Collins, 15, was more pointed about what might overtake them on the streets: “Troublemakers, gangs, bad decisions, cops.”
The activities at the center — even just the space to do homework — aren’t readily available, especially in a distraction-free setting, Rivera added. Collins agreed: “If you want this, usually you have to pay for stuff like this.”
As a next phase, the center is looking to add a computer lab, a service it once had that would give the youth it serves ready access to technology — a vital resource in a place that exists under the footprint of Silicon Valley but where actual signs of that geography are hard to find.
All of the teens interviewed for this Wish Book story said having access to computers – which most of them lack at home – would be a huge boost. So Catholic Charities is seeking donations from Wish Book readers to help provide them.
“It would help us with school work, even applying for jobs,” Rivera said.
McCaskill said he hopes a computer lab will allow staff to teach the teens skills like résumé writing.
“We live in Silicon Valley. This could be make it or break it for the students,” case manager Lonise Iese said. “We need to teach them these skills.”
A computer lab could also be a selling point for center staff and Catholic Charities as they look to boost youth participation in areas they have identified as gang hotspots, where teens are most vulnerable to gang recruitment and influence.
That’s how Carlos Castaneda, 15, got involved. He’s since attained a job helping keep the youth center in shape and helping encourage his peers to come through.
He has a series of pitches.
“It’s a safe spot where you can just be yourself. No one is here to judge you. If you don’t know what to do at home, you come here.”
They gradually rise in emotional gravity: “It keeps you safe from the streets, gangs and all that. Growing up, you see gangs here, and this is a place you can come and none of that will follow you.”
One of the center’s key services is offering support for teens who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. Iese and Monica Bravo, another case manager, are among the staff who help these clients navigate their return to the community.
“Everyone is welcome here. We’re that consistent role model, to show that everybody cares about them. They can all do great things.”
THE WISH BOOK SERIES
Wish Book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by The Mercury News. Since 1983, Wish Book has been producing series of stories during the holiday season that highlight the wishes of those in need and invite readers to help fulfill them.
WISH
Donations to Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County would help them equip a new computer lab, and aid up to 300 at risk or gang-impacted youth and young adults. Goal: $45,000
HOW TO GIVE
Donate at wishbook.mercurynews.com/donate or mail in this form.
Read other Wish Book stories, view photos and video at wishbook.mercurynews.com