Youth 360 Houston Middle School Program rebuilding after vandalism

The Youth 360 Houston Middle School Program is rebuilding their space after vandalism this summer. With support from the school district and the community, the program has a goal to move back into their portable by the end of the month. The new space will be designed and built with support from the students themselves.

“It was really hard when we got the news and it’s been really hard on the kids, but they’re just excited to get back,” Youth 360 Houston Program Manager Madeline Emmi said. “We grieved for a while and we were sad, and now we’re just excited.”

The location was vandalized this summer just before the start of the school year. Paint and glue had been spread everywhere, their art supplies destroyed and a fire extinguisher had been set off inside the portable.

“It wound up being nearly a complete loss,” Youth 360 Director Tyler Healy said.

The Houston Middle School program has joined the Houston High School program as the district renovates and rebuilds the space. Both Healy and Emmi referenced the resilience of those involved with the program and the amount of students that continue to show up every day.

“It’s definitely been a big challenge for our team and for the students who love coming there,” Healy said.

“It really shows the resilience of not only my staff but also the students,” Emmi said. “These students are just ready to get their space back.”

The school district has taken the lead on rebuilding the location. Installing a new carpet and fresh paint should be finished this month and the program is slated to reopen in November. Healy said the students will play a role in reorganizing the space during program hours.

“The kids want to be involved and we want their ideas to be reflected on how the new space looks,” Healy said.

The support from the community through donations and well-wishes has been encouraging, Emmi said. She said she receives packages daily from the program’s Amazon wishlist. The list of supplies has been curated by the students as they provide their input on what they want to have in their new space. Families of students that have graduated from the program have provided their testimonies and expressed the importance of this program in the Valley.

“The community has stepped in. They’ve offered their time and their resources and physical donations,” Emmi said. “And a lot of really encouraging messages.”

The program continues to collect donations. A link for financial donations with funds earmarked towards repair can be found here.

An Amazon wishlist created by the Houston Program can be found here.

Despite the setback at the Houston Middle School location, Youth 360 programs around the Valley are performing well this school year with an all-time high of students enrolled. The new Northgate location has been a success according to Healy.

Lights On for Families is a series of workshops and presentations hosted by Youth 360 that occurs this year on November 8 at Teeland Middle School. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., education content will focus on families raising and interacting with teens.

A Young Entrepreneur Winter Expo will occur on November 29 at Everett’s at Mat-Su Resort. The youth vendor fair highlights youth businesses around the Mat-Su that will be selling gifts and goods for the holidays. The first fair this last April was successful through both student interest and community support, Healy said.

Healy reinforced how encouraged and blessed that the team at Youth 360 feels from all of the community support and how eager they are to get the Houston Middle School location back up and running. Emmi pointed out how the program provides consistency in children’s lives and a safe space to engage with safe and supportive adults after school.

“We’re not going anywhere. We know the values these programs hold,” Healy said.

“We are getting back on our feet and this was just a temporary setback,” Emmi said. “But we’re going to bounce back and it’s going to be really awesome.”