Resources:
Sarah Rigg's Feature Article: Ann Arbor Y opens low-cost Ypsi wellness center in former preschool collaborative
The Neighborhood Collaborative
Transcription:
Lee Van Roth: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. A YMCA building that closed its preschool collaborative doors in March reopened in June as something else entirely: a free, neighborhood-embedded wellness and community hub that is not your typical YMCA membership branch. The Ann Arbor YMCA recently launched the Neighborhood Collaborative, a new community and wellness program center on June 1st in the former Chapel Elementary School building. Joining me to talk more about the vision behind the Neighborhood Collaborative is James Highsmith, President and CEO of the Ann Arbor YMCA. James, thank you so much for being here today!
James Highsmith: Of course! And I appreciate you giving the time to the Y to talk a little bit more about the Neighborhood Collaborative.
Lee Van Roth: So, to start us off, can you tell us a little bit about this decision to transform this former preschool building site into this community resource for the neighborhood? What was happening that made the YMCA realize this space kind of needed to evolve into something different?
James Highsmith: Yeah. So, for a lot of reasons. The childcare opportunities that we had with our preschool just weren't having the same level of impact that they were initially when that center was first created. And again, that's for many different reasons. But really, we wanted to ensure that the Ann Arbor Y was still having an impact in community. And so, the Neighborhood Collaborative is not meant to be a replacement for what was. We do still have some of the youth development opportunities at the center. It's a continuation of really the same belief that brought the Y to Chapel Elementary in the first place, and that's that every community, every person, deserves a safe, welcoming space where they can really learn, grow and thrive. And so, the Y has continued to operate that space. We've just kind of rebranded it. And now, it's called the Neighborhood Collaborative, and the Neighborhood Collaborative really operates out of four primary pillars. Those pillars are physical and mental well-being, community civic life and belonging, youth development, and arts and humanities. And so, everything that we do at the Neighborhood Collaborative is really intended to hit one of those primary pillars.
Lee Van Roth: And this is not meant to be a traditional sort of YMCA branch. Can you kind of dive into what makes the Neighborhood Collaborative different from the model that people maybe expect from the Y?
James Highsmith: Yeah, of course! So, I think a lot of times when you think about the YMCA in a wellness space, you think about the typical membership model. You pay either a recurring monthly fee or an annual fee, and you're able to use the services that that facility offers. The Neighborhood Collaborative is a lot different. And so, one, it is entirely operated at either no cost or very low cost, and there is no membership model. Of course, if you are an active member of the Ann Arbor YMCA, you do have access to the Neighborhood Collaborative included with your membership. But if you're not, if your just a community member, if someone that lives in the neighborhood and maybe the downtown Ann Arber membership branch is a bit far for you to commute to, you still have the opportunity to participate in our programs at the Neighborhood Collaborative. And the model there, again, it's all either free or low cost. And so, you can purchase a punch card. I believe they're between $50 and $60, depending on which punch card you purchase, and that gives you 10 to 11 visits for the center. And so, that can be for wellness classes. It can be workshops. You can also buy one-off visits as well. And again, those are for some of the wellness classes that we have available. There's Spanish classes as well. There's a ton of different things that are happening, but no recurring membership model. It's just either a single visit or a punch card model to have access to the facilities. And of course, we do still have some programs that happen on a more recurring basis. So, we still have before and after-school programs. We still have day camps for kids as well. And so, that model is a little bit more similar to what you expect where you are paying a fee for the full session, whether that's a week or two weeks or whatever that looks like. But really, we wanted to eliminate the barrier that is membership, that is recurring membership payment for a center. Really, you get the opportunity to use it at your own convenience, and we really wanted to eliminate that barrier for the neighborhood.
Lee Van Roth: And the programming, like you mentioned, with the pillars of the organization, too, or of the Collaborative is really, really broad. I mean, there's yoga, Tai Chi, there is nutrition education, there is CPR training, There's just a lot of different stuff going on. How did the Y kind of communicate with the local community to figure out exactly what was going to be the best to offer here?
James Highsmith: So, the pillars, being as broad as they are, is very much intentional. We really wanted everyone to be able to see themselves at the Neighborhood Collaborative, whether that's as a volunteer or as a participant of some of the programs. We really want you to be be able look at some of those offerings and see something that might be able or might just draw your interest into participating. And so, we've done a couple of different things. We had a community survey that we worked from, and that survey was from years ago, so it was a little dated. But all the different programs that we brought to the Neighborhood Collaborative came from the feedback that we received in that community survey, recognizing that we wanted to get this up and running in 2026, but also wanted this to be a reflection of the neighbors that we serve. We wanted to do another community survey. And so, actually, right now, there's a survey that is being launched, or that is launched, in the community to have a better understanding, so that we can kind of narrow the scope a little bit to understand what the community wants to see at this center. So right now, we're starting really, really broad, kind of seeing what sticks, offering a little of everything. And I expect, through feedback that we receive on the ground and through community survey, that we'll be able to kind of narrow the scope just a bit. But again, the idea is that we're going to be able operate through those four primary pillars and really wanting everyone in the neighborhood, everyone in the community, to be able to see something that is for them at the Neighborhood Collaborative.
Lee Van Roth: And in addition to working with and speaking with community members directly, I understand that one of the goals is for neighborhood organizations and other groups to see the collaborative as their space as well. Are there any partnerships or community-led activities that you're kind of hoping to see develop there over time?
James Highsmith: Yeah. So, there are a couple that are happening now, and some that are getting ready to happen in the fall as well. So, the ones in the fall, we're going to do a flu shot clinic, and that is in tandem with the University of Michigan traveling nurses. We're going do a voter registration drive, so we're getting ready to engage the League of Women Voters. Currently, we have a cinema club that happens on the weekend at the Neighborhood Collaborative, and that's hosted by an instructor, a film instructor, at the community college. But we hope to expand even from there. We hope to do some collaboration with potentially the library and have the bookmobile out a little bit more often. We're thinking about potential resources. Can we engage Washtenaw County and MichiganWorks! to potentially bring those resources and sign-up fairs to the neighborhood, which would be a really cool opportunity. And so, there's some ideas that haven't quite happened, but there are some that are already getting ready to occur in the fall, and some that are happening on the ground now.
Lee Van Roth: This is On the Ground Ypsi on 89.1 WEMU. I'm talking with James Highsmith about the YMCA's Neighborhood Collaborative. So, James, based on our conversation so far, there's already a lot of stuff going on at the Neighborhood collaborative. There's stuff in the pipeline coming down. What does success look like for you a few years from now, if the Neighborhood Collaborative continues to reach for and potentially achieve this vision of building relationships with neighbors, creating this volunteer-driven space, amplifying local voices, all of those wonderful things?
James Highsmith: I think there's a couple of ways that we're currently looking at it. When you're looking at just like some of the raw data, we're looking at zip codes and making sure that this is an opportunity that is serving a diverse zip code from the population that we currently serve at the downtown membership branch. This is intended to be an opportunity for anyone in Washtenaw or southern Livingston County, but we really wanted to be intentional about doing a better job of being able to serve Ypsi. And so, having this opportunity at the Neighborhood Collaborative be within the Normal Park neighborhood, we're really looking at, when people sign up, where are they hearing about us and where are they coming from? We also really want this to be a neighborhood-driven space where volunteers are participating in hosting clubs. If a neighbor in the community has a small group and they need a space for their knitting club, we want them to do that at the Neighborhood Collaborative. And so, being able to engage some of those neighbors and increase the number of volunteers that are serving in the Ann Arbor YMCA, but also just in the Neighborhood Collaborative is a really strong way that we're going to be looking at the success of the Neighborhood Collaborative. And I think, aside from that, it's just making sure that we have programs that people can see themselves within. Whether you're interested in Zumba or whether you need camps for your kid or whether you want to be a babysitter in the neighborhoods and you need CPR and first aid certification, we really want to have a diverse programming set, so that the community is really able to see themselves. The last thing I would say is, because we're trying to do most of this programming at either no or very low cost, finding philanthropic support in community, having a donor or an organization realize and see the benefits of a center like this operating within the neighborhood, a center that really reflects the community that is able to serve people regardless of their age, income background, and that we're meeting community work community at that, that there's some donor or organization that wants to support this initiative.
Lee Van Roth: And for someone who has never walked through the doors before of the Neighborhood Collaborative and may be wondering whether this space is for them or has offerings for them, what would you want them to know?
James Highsmith: I would want them to know that this is an incredibly welcoming space, and I think that you'll feel that the moment that you walk in, whether it's seeing the language wall where we have "hello" written in 60 different languages decorated on a wall directly when you walk into the building, or the smiling face of the neighbor that you recognize from Normal Park. We're really wanting this to be a space where you just feel welcome and feel safe, a space where you feel comfortable dropping your child off for before and after-care or day camp. And then, later that evening, you have a Zumba class and that you're able to have a benefit for the whole body, whether it's through our wellness classes or through a mental wellness class. Like, whatever it is, there's a approach to the center that I think is really wanting to serve the entire person.
Lee Van Roth: James, I want to thank you so much for joining me here today and for sharing how the Neighborhood Collaborative is evolving, giving us a little sneak peek at some stuff to come as well. And thank you for helping to create some more opportunities for folks to come together in our Ypsi community!
James Highsmith: Awesome! Yeah! I appreciate the time, Lee! And I look forward to hopefully seeing more visitors at the Neighborhood Collaborative!
Lee Van Roth: For more on today's conversation and a link to the full article, visit our website at WEMU.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU, Ypsilanti.
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