YMCA’s new youth director savors Lynn’s ethnic diversity

LYNN – Gregg Ellenberg sees beauty in diversity.The 29-year-old Salem resident recently left his job as a youth program director in suburban Newton to join the staff at the Greater Lynn YMCA.”I wanted to be part of a program that was doing something for the community and now I have 200 kids,” said Ellenberg, who as youth and teams director oversees the drop-in youth center in Lynn, the separate summer program, basketball leagues, sports classes and Camp Sachem in Saugus.A 2002 Colgate University graduate, Ellenberg holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in music. His resume includes six years working with teen programs, experiences he enjoyed but left him looking for a more urban setting.”I wanted to be closer to home and also work with a more diverse population and Lynn certainly has that,” he said. “I think the youth center is a microcosm of the city and I really like the way it’s available here.”The year-round drop-in center is open Monday through Friday from 2-6 p.m. and on Saturday from noon-to-3 p.m. The children, ranging in age from kindergarten to middle school, pay $47 a year to attend as often as they choose. A few students, now in high school, still come in the afternoon to play basketball.”Some of the kids, mostly the younger ones, need to run around a lot before they can settle down. Others need to do homework,” Ellenberg said. “By 3 p.m., most of the kids have arrived so we have our daily opening, which officially marks the start of our day. And every day we focus on one core value.”The YMCA’s national core values are responsibility, respect, honesty and caring.”We really try to work on their social skills. The time they spend here is as important as the time they spend in schools,” he said. “They learn important behaviors and how to handle their emotions.”At the end of each day, the staff chooses an MVP – most valuable person – to reinforce the significance of adopting the core values. “Whoever shows the most core values that day gets the MVP award,” Ellenberg said.The drop-in center has a staff of five, supervised by Rafaela Perez. Activities are organized by age and the children play in groups. The separate summer program isn’t a camp but provides day care between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for $20 a week.Camp Sachem costs $170 a week. The Lynn YMCA is currently arranging transportation so that children from Lynn and Revere can attend the Saugus-based program.”Lynn is about as unique a community as you can imagine and the kids don’t segregate themselves,” Ellenberg said. “It’s just the kind of place I was looking for.”