Washington and Gardener Centers Fight to Keep Their Doors Open

The Washington Youth Center is one of 21 centers in the city of San Jose that could shut its doors, according to what City Hall has proposed in its 2010-2011 budget. The center offers a variety of cultural and physical activities to young people at low costs, including folkloric dance groups, martial arts, and indoor soccer. For the ninth straight year, San Jose is facing a budget shortfall, and has proposed to cut $116 million, the biggest deficit in the city´s history, from the General Fund.

Besides the elimination of the centers, the Police Department would loose 160 positions; the Fire Department would slash 86; the library system would reduce its hours dramatically and eliminate 110 jobs; by shutting down the aforementioned 21 centers, 117 positions would be lost; and the Department of Transportation would loose 40 jobs.

The Washington Youth Center, as the other centers to close down, offers after-school activities for young people from all sorts of economic income. Not only will they loose options, the libraries will offer less services at reduced schedules, and on top of that, streets will see fewer police.

City Hall has suggested a possible solution to keep the centers open: find a non-profit that will provide the financial needs. Another option is to start charging fees, or increase them in case already charging, which would go against the mission of many of these centers.

“For us, as a Catholic organization, this is a difficult situation, because without (city) funds we cannot keep the center open,” said America Aguirre, director of WYC, that uses the gyms and classrooms of the Latin American Library just south of downtown San Jose.

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara has managed WYC since it opened, 10 years ago. Aguirre said that the importance of these centers is to provide activities at a low cost ($5 a year for the youth), and especially for WYC that is located in an area where there is basically no other possible place for after-school activities.

“There are no parks or other places in this area, here they can find a positive place to workout and meet other people,” said Aguirre, referring to the more than 100 teens and children who use the WYC every day.

Adults also use the center at $15 a year, at WYC they take English and computer classes, and help in organizing events throughout the year such as Dia de Muertos and the Posadas.

“We know this is difficult for the (City) government, we don't think they want to close us down, but there has to be cuts,” said Aguirre. WYC is in talks with City Council to find a solution to this matter. However, should the cuts not take place, WYC is still searching for financial alternatives. “We are aware that this is not the last year we will face financial problems,” said Aguirre.

“For each kid that goes to jail, the city spends $200,000 in one year, so if we save two kids, we can save the Center, we want the City to acknowledge that the Center is saving young people, to have them do positive things, and not go to jail in the future”, said Aguirre.

“These programs feed the confidence of our children; my daughter has more confidence than before,” said Lily Gonzalez, whose daughter attends the Brenda Lopez Folkloric Group at the Center, where she and other kids, as young as three-year-olds, learn traditional Mexican dances. Boys and girls, from all backgrounds, economic and cultural, attend each Saturday to learn the dances from several Mexican regions.

“My sister Brenda started this group of Folkloric Dance for kids of the area who are not as fortunate economically as kids from other areas,” said Nancy Lopez, who remembered how 10 years ago her sister obtained scholarships and the necessary clothing, in order to offer the dances at no cost. Now the program attracts families from around the Bay Area, not only the area.

“That is why we named the group after her”, said Nancy.

Nancy pointed out that performing cultural activities such as this one, awakens the “other part of the brain,” and therefore can achieve better results in “science, math, they're all related,” said Nancy. “If they shut us down, our children will have to stay at home watching TV, increasing obesity,” said Maria Vazquez, from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, from which one of the most representative Mexican dances come from, the Jarabe Tapatio.

“My two daughters took after their aunts, and wanted to learn Mexican dance,” said Vazquez.