Carbon County Youth Center

Welcome to the front page for the Carbon County Youth Center. If you have never heard of the Youth Center before, that is because it doesn’t exist yet. I hope to change that. If you are curious and possibly willing to help, then keep reading to find out more.

 

The Dream

 

When you think about what kids have available for them on weekend nights, how many things come to mind? My hope is that eventually this youth center will be at the top of what was likely a very short list in your mind.

 

The hope for the youth center is to provide a place for kids to be kids, a place for them to play, learn, and explore. The long-term goal is to have a place that is open year-round where kids can participate in many different activities, or just come to play around.

 

The first hurdle is space. You can’t have a youth center in just any old building. To really provide the kind of year-round resources that are so vital, you need to have a large enough indoor space to accommodate everything. Right now there is nothing official. Everything is in the idea stage, and the whole point of this site is to help put feelers out to see what comes back. There is one building in Carbon County that I have my eye on at the moment. The gym from the old Edgar school hasn't been used in years. I am currently trying to contact the owners and see if there is something that we can work out.

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What do we do with that space?

 

The most basic use is simply to have a large area that is viable year-round for kids to have activities. A gym is perfect for basketball, indoor soccer, flag football, volleyball, and pretty much any other similar activity. If we have the space and the supplies for it, the kids can do it.

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Beyond simply running out excess energy, I do have some dreams for what this place could be. I want to partner with 4h, FFA, and any other youth organization in the county to possibly provide a place they can utilize for classes, shows, or whatever else comes up. I also want to partner with the local schools, the local churches, homeschool parents, and anyone else who works with youth. I want this to be a place where we can provide and share needed resources to help kids all over the county.

 

That is my dream. 

 

Who am I?

 

Most of you don’t know me, but I can give you a bit of background about who I am and why I am doing this. My name is Stephen Mayo. I am Montana born and raised. I grew up in Colstrip and watched the town shrink as I progressed from elementary through high school. Every year it seemed like one of the places we liked to hang out would close. The one place that was always open was the recreational center. I spent a lot of nights there. I come from a long line of teachers and ministers on my mother’s side. If you take a survey at a family reunion, teachers, ministers, and worship leaders take up a large portion of the professions. I am following that in my own way.

 

I may not be from Carbon County, but my wife’s family is. My daughter is 5th generation on the family ranch. I want to provide the best opportunities I can for her and for the rest of the kids in the county.

 

I have a Bachelor’s in Divinity. I am currently working on a Bachelor’s in Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Chaplaincy. I am also taking additional classes in youth work, teaching, and coaching. I have been volunteering in youth ministry for a decade, and I have worked at several group homes for at-risk youth. I am taking all of that various experience and turning it toward this endeavor. If you think you can help in some way, or if you just want to contact me, please reach out.