Aaron New, Author at South Sound YMCA

Join us to experience new youth programs every month!

Monthly registration is required. All programs are $10/month/class for members, and $40/month/class for non-members.

REGISTER HERE

ART CLUB

We will be working all different kinds of mediums, namely clay to start, but will have alternative activities for folks to engage with. We will be focusing on creating Earth-themed art, that will be displayed during the Olympia Arts Walk at our Plum Street location!
Tuesdays from 4pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Tuesdays from 5pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13
Wednesday from 11am @ Briggs | Ages 3-5

BALLET

Join us for intro to ballet to dip your toes into this beautiful and elegant form of dance. If your little one has been wanting to try it but hasn’t had a place to go, this is your opportunity!
Monday at 3:45pm @ Briggs | Ages 3-5; 5-9

BASKETBALL ROOKIES

Learn the basics and sharpen your skills of the game founded at the Y!
Thursdays at 5:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9

BASKETBALL BALLERS

Challenge and hone your skills with drills, with games at the end of every class.
Tuesdays at 5:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9

COMMIT DANCE FITNESS

Commit Dance Fitness is a dynamic fun-filled HIT (High Intensity interval training) dance workout. For all fitness levels and abilities! This class encourages self-confidence and creativity by allowing kids to be free to express themselves.
Tuesdays at 4:15pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9

CREATIVITY CLUB

Enjoy fun and diverse activities while letting your creative imagination go wild! This month, we’ll be making Earth-themed puppets!
Wednesdays at 4pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

GARDEN CRAFTERS

In this program, we will be learning how to upcycle different bottles, egg cartons, and other things that will be able to be used in our community garden! For the littles, we will be doing rock painting and other ways to engage our young ones in the garden creation!
Mondays at 11pm @ Briggs | Ages 3-5
Mondays at 4:30pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13

HIP HOP DANCE

This is an intro to hip hop dance, where kids will learn to move and feel comfortable in their bodies!
Saturdays at 10:15am @ Briggs | Ages 10-13
Saturdays at 11:15am @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

HOMESCHOOL PE

Learn the fundamentals of sports and active games, all while having fun and making friends!
Tuesdays at 1:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-13
Thursdays at 1:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-13

IMPROV THEATER

A wonderful way to expand your imagination and creativity! You’ll learn the basics of improv while being silly, having fun, and building new relationships!
Thursdays at 4pm @ Plum Street | Ages 10-13

INCLUSIVE PE

We are offering a sensory specific PE time for our kids with autism and other sensitivities to be able to come in and play! This is catered to our homeschool community but we invite all who are available to come join and build new relationships!
Fridays at 11am @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

INTRO TO AMIGURUMI

Amigurumi is a Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures.
Thursdays at 5:15pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-13

INTRO TO THEATER

Each week we will have different focuses where we will play theater games, move our bodies, learn about stage directions and other important vocabulary, and practice getting into character. We will learn the very basics of what goes into make a production, and what it is like being on stage (and off!).
Mondays at 4pm @ Plum St | Ages 10-13

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

Learn cooking skills, explore new foods, and get empowered to make healthy choices while cooking a meal!
Wednesdays at 5:15pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9; 10-13

MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS

Experience all the various kinds of music – Bringing in lots of different instruments.
Mondays at 5:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 10-14

PAINT LIKE BOB ROSS

Beginning painting is good for the soul. Come have some fun, make new friends, and learn the basics of Bob Ross-style painting.
Mondays at 4:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-10

PICKLEBALL

A social sport that combines elements of tennis, ping pong, and badminton—Pickleball is FUN! Grab your paddles and hit the pickleball court!
Saturdays at 10am @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Saturdays at 11am @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

PRE-SCHOOL SPORTS

Tie up your shoelaces and run on over to have some fun playing basketball or soccer-style sports! Energize your brain while developing your motor skills and learning about teamwork.
Thursdays at 11am @ Briggs | Ages 3-5

ROCK CLIMBING

How high can you climb? Our youth climbing class is for the young climbers eager to advance their skills and knowledge of rock climbing. This class covers the basic skills and ideas of both indoor and outdoor climbing. Have fun while you increase strength, endurance, and confidence!
Saturdays at 11am @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Fridays at 5pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Fridays at 6pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13

SCIENCE CLUB

We will focus on age appropriate and fun science-based activities to help kids expand their curiosity and even help with upcoming school projects.
Fridays at 5pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Fridays at 6pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

SEED STARTERS

In this program, we will be getting our hands dirty and starting to learn about seed starts and planning for summer gardens! We’ll plant our own gardens as well!
Saturdays at 12pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9

TABLETOP GAMES

Come and embark on epic adventures and explore fantasy worlds with our engaging and interactive Table-Top gaming group! The story you will encounter is only limited to your imagination!
Fridays at 4pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13

TEEN LIFT LAB

Aspiring to be strong and athletic? Our camp can help improve cardiovascular fitness, body composition, bone density, and self-confidence. Class will be introducing safe weightlifting, focusing on squats, dead lifts, and bench presses.
Saturdays at 1:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 10-14

TODDLER GYM

Children will have FUN while focusing on age-appropriate activities to enhance motor skills, game play and get creative while playing with other kids in an open gym environment.
Registration and fee not required for Toddler Gym.
Tuesdays at 11am @ Briggs | Ages 1-4

TUMBLEBUGS

Tumble on in for high energy fun that teaches basic gymnastic skills in a positive, fun, yet challenging atmosphere!
Tuesday at 5pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9 (Intermediate)
Tuesday at 6pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9 (Intermediate)
Tuesdays at 5pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9 (Intermediate)
Wednesday at 6:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 3-5 (Little Tumblers)
Thursdays at 3:45pm @ Briggs | Ages 3-5 (Little Tumblers)
Thursdays at 4:45pm@ Briggs | Ages 5-9 (Beginner)
Fridays at 3:45pm @ Briggs | Ages 3-5 (Little Tumblers)
Fridays at 5:45pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9 (Beginner)

YOUTH DANZAN RIU JUJUTSU

Develop fluid, effective, and powerful techniques through proper body dynamics, breathing, and relaxation. In this class you will learn how to do escapes, locks, throwing, grappling, constriction, and self-defense.
Please see our website for registration information and program fees.
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 6pm @ Briggs | Ages 6-14

The history of the YMCA – like the history of the United States – is a story of incremental progress toward greater inclusion and equity for all. As we celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, we are honoring the stories of Black leaders who helped move the Y – and America – forward.

Anthony Bowen

A former enslaved person and the first Black American to become a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office, Anthony Bowen founded the first YMCA for the Black community in Washington, D.C., in 1853, eight years before the Civil War. Additional Black Ys and college chapters were established in the following decades, with membership reaching 28,000 nationwide by the mid-1920s.

William Hunton

The son a freed enslaved person from Canada, William Hunton began his Y work in 1888 as the first employed YMCA secretary at a “Colored YMCA” in Norfolk, VA. Hunton worked among the soldiers in the Army camps during the Spanish-American War and in developing Student YMCAs on Black campuses throughout the South. He helped communities meet Julius Rosenwald’s challenge grant to build YMCAs for Black communities, and then helped recruit and train the staff and volunteers to lead those associations.

Carter Woodson

In 1915, at the Wabash Avenue YMCA in Chicago, Carter Woodson organized the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which researched and celebrated the achievements of Black Americans. This led to his starting Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month.

Madam C.J. Walker

An entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist, Madam C.J. Walker was one of the first self-made female American millionaires. She escaped poverty and built a company selling hair care products, which also gave her sales agents an income of their own. Walker was a philanthropic supporter of the YMCA and participated in and financially supported the NAACP’s anti-lynching movement.

Jackie Robinson

In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first Black major league baseball player. This same year he also became a volunteer boys coach at the Harlem YMCA with fellow coach and teammate Roy Campanella.

Leo B. Marsh

In 1954, Dr. Leo B. Marsh became the first Black president of the Association of YMCA Secretaries. In 1971, Marsh brought the Black Achievers program (created by Quentin R. Mease at the South Central YMCA of Houston) to the Harlem YMCA. With the help of volunteer adult mentors, the Achievers program helps youth of color succeed in school and develop a positive sense of self.

Jesse Alexander

After starting his YMCA career an outreach worker with youth, in 1969, Jesse Alexander joined the National Council of YMCAs as where he helped organize the National Conference of Black and Non-White Laymen and Staff, which dealt with supporting efforts to overcome racism in the YMCA and ensuring that YMCA organizations existed where communities of color wanted them.

Violet P. Henry

After holding various executive leadership roles in the Newark and Chicago YMCAs, in 1976, Violet P. Henry became the first woman to be named to a top management position at the Y’s national office. She provided leadership for numerous national and international commissions and committees that worked for the rights of women and people of color.

Kevin Washington

In 2015, Kevin Washington became the first African American – and the first person of color – to serve as CEO of the YMCA of the USA. Besides reimagining a new service delivery system across the Y movement, Washington was a leading national voice for relief from federal government for nonprofits devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He spearheaded the highly successful #Relief4Charities effort, put Y-USA on a path to become an anti-racist, multicultural organization and engaged young people as changemakers in their communities.

Visit the YMCA Archives to learn more about the history of Black leadership in the YMCA.

By Lesli Baker

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. Every February brings the opportunity to focus our appreciation on African American voices, lives, and accomplishments—both past and present. The theme for the 2023 Black History Month celebration is “Black Innovation.” In honor of that fact, here are some amazing Black American Inventors and Innovators that you may not know about!

Lewis Howard Latimer

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) was an African American inventor, electrical pioneer, and a son of two formerly enslaved Virginians who self-liberated. With no access to formal education, Latimer taught himself mechanical drawing while in the Union Navy, and eventually became a chief draftsman, patent expert, and inventor.

Latimer worked with three of the most celebrated scientific inventors in American history, Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram S. Maxim, and Thomas Alva Edison. He played a critical role in the development of the telephone, significantly improved the production of carbon filament, and made important contributions to the commercialization of the incandescent light bulb.

Dr. Patricia Bath, PhD

Dr. Patricia Bath was an ophthalmologist known for inventing the Laserphaco Probe, a tool used in cataract surgery. After obtaining a medical degree from Howard University, she attended Columbia University and was the first African American to complete an ophthalmology residency program (1973). She was the first woman to chair an ophthalmology residency program (1983). For 5 years, Bath worked on the Laserphaco Probe, a device that was able to precisely treat cataracts and even restore the sight of people who had been unable to see for 30 years. In 1988, she received a patent for the Laserphaco Probe, becoming the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent. She continued her work in ophthalmology until 1993, when she retired from UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Mae Jemison

US astronaut, doctor and engineer Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to go into space in 1992. She was one of seven crew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, on a mission named STS-47. Partly inspired by a love of Star Trek, she aspired to go into space and was sure she would get there. “As a little girl… I always assumed I would go into space,” she said in a 2017 interview “Let me make sure that’s clear: I just always assumed, despite the fact that the US hadn’t sent any women up there, or people of color, that I was going to go.” Little did she know then that she would also one day become the first real astronaut to appear in an episode of Star Trek.

Dr. Lonnie Johnson

In 1989, Lonnie Johnson formed his own engineering firm and licensed his most famous invention, the Super Soaker water gun, to Larami Corporation. Two years later, the Super Soaker generated over $200 million in retail sales, and became the number one selling toy in America. Over the years, Super Soaker® sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. Currently, Lonnie Johnson holds over 100 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems. Two of Johnson’s companies, Excellatron Solid State and Johnson Battery Technologies, Inc. (JBT) are developing revolutionary energy technology.

*If you would like to read more about Black American Innovators, check out; African American Inventors by Sophie Washburn

Join us to experience new youth programs every month!

Monthly registration is required. All programs are $10/month for members, and $40/month for non-members.

REGISTER HERE

BASKETBALL ROOKIES

Learn the basics of the game founded at the Y!
Saturdays at 2:00pm @ Shelton

COMMIT DANCE FITNESS

Commit Dance Fitness is a dynamic fun-filled HIT (High Intensity interval training) dance workout. For all fitness levels and abilities! This class encourages self-confidence and creativity by allowing kids to be free to express themselves.
Saturdays at 2:00pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-10

CREATE A VIRAL TIKTOK VIDEO

Lean into creativity and fun! Practice your creative skills and bring it to life in a video!
Thursdays at 2:45pm @ Shelton | Ages 10+
Thursdays at 5:15pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9

CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS

Study the collaboration of writing and music expression, to give individuals and outlet and healing.
Wednesdays at 2pm @ Shelton | Ages 10+
Saturdays at 2pm @ Shelton | Ages 10+

CREATIVITY CLUB

Enjoy fun and diverse activities while letting your creative imagination go wild! This month, we’ll be making our own comic books!
Wednesdays at 4:00pm @ Briggs | Ages 5-9
Mondays at 4:00pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13

DISC GOLF

Come and learn the basic foundations of disc golf, also known as frisbee golf! It’s a perfect infusion of golf and basketball that works to improve hand eye coordination, aim, and is a wonderful, low impact sport to get into!
Saturdays from 12-1pm @ Briggs | Ages 10-13

ENTREPRENEURSHIP*

Learn the skills to identify opportunities in the marketplace that line up with passions and values, that can be turn into a business and scaled over time.
*ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR COURSE MATERIALS
Fridays at 5:30pm @ Shelton | Ages 10+

GARDENING 101

Introduction to the basics and science of garden skills.
Tuesdays at 6:15pm @ Shelton | Ages 5-9