2010s

The Buchanan YMCA partnered with JCYC (Japanese Community Youth Council) and was one of nine sites in San Francisco to recruit, train, and place teens in the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP).

2022

The Buchanan YMCA expanded beyond its facility walls to provide accessible, neighborhood-based wellness offerings, with funding from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

2020

The building closed to the public on March 16, 2020, due to COVID-19 and operated with a skeleton crew. The YMCA partnered with SFUSD and the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) to operate learning pods, where groups of up to 25 students worked with YMCA staff who helped them participate online with their teachers and classes. UCSF also partnered with the Buchanan YMCA to operate eight pods at four locations, serving approximately 200 children of UCSF staff from elementary through middle school.

2022

Suzanne Medina began her role as executive director, a position she holds today.

Today, the Buchanan YMCA continues to serve the needs of the community by offering after-school programs at every public elementary school in the Western Addition: Dr. William L. Cobb, Rosa Parks, John Muir, and New Traditions. The YMCA also runs after-school programs at Margaret Hayward Playground and at two middle schools in the Western Addition, KIPP Bay Academy and Gateway. Summer and holiday camps give youth the chance to enjoy quality time and have fun while continuing to learn when school is out. For high school students, the YMCA offers job readiness training and job placement. Civic engagement programs such as Youth and Government, Mock Trial, and Model United Nations prepare young people to take part in community life, improve conditions for others, and help shape the community’s future.

The YMCA also continues to address health disparities in the community. Its wellness center offers exercise equipment and fitness classes for all ages, including seniors, with programs such as martial arts, group exercise, yoga, tai chi, wushu, volleyball, and basketball. In keeping with the culture of the community, SF Taiko Dojo teaches the art of taiko drumming, and dance programs led by staff and partners give youth an outlet to express themselves.