Submitted by Ken Ireland
I was dismayed to learn that our City Council recently failed to approve the Logos Youth Center proposal. That decision should be revisited by the Council at the May 7th meeting.
The visionaries and leaders behind the Logos Youth Center designed this center to serve our youth, at no expense to residents. This generous gift and ongoing stewardship will provide our youth, who despite the affluence of Coronado, are at risk for addictions and other dangerous behavior because of the lack of supervision during after-school and evening hours. With many dual working parents, single parents and sadly, parents who’ve “given up” on parenting, Coronado’s young people have few outlets outside of organized team sports, Navy JROTC and the CoSA program where they can relax in a supervised environment and also receive educational support, mentoring and guidance in navigating the challenging teen years.
I write as a former educator at CHS and as a church youth leader for the past 13 years. At CHS, I led the Navy JROTC unit, which served as a meeting place before, during and after school for our teens, even those who weren’t enrolled in the unit. Students stayed in the ROTC room after school; some for drill team practice, others for a structured study environment with homework help, others just to unwind with friends while they waited for a parent to pick them up or meet them at home. This “fellowship” and mentorship improved school attendance, aided students struggling with academic challenges and provided at least one student with guidance that prevented a suicide attempt during that student’s high school years.
The Logos Youth Center will provide that same supportive atmosphere for a larger cross-section of students, and will become a hub for faith-based activities for the entire community, serving as a resource for organizations which serve our youth. The need is there; the leadership of our schools and other organizations in the community that support youth have affirmed this need. The Logos Youth Center has been funded and will be sustained by the generosity of the faith community in Coronado. The City Planning Commission approved the plan for the Logos Youth Center. All that remains is for our elected City leadership to realize this need and revisit their previous ill-informed and short-sighted decision and render an “approved” vote.
Ken Ireland
