The YMCA of the North is launching it's 6th summer of providing free memberships to Twin Cities teens.
Executive Director Katie Lowe says the memberships go beyond the Y's fitness options to include classes that offer leadership development and even career and college readiness.
"We're never going to be something that replaces what they get in school or what they get in their community neighborhood. But we just enhance all of those pieces," said Lowe.
Lowe says as many as 10-thousand teens each summer have taken advantage of the free memberships since they began offering them in 2017.
The core of what we're doing is the stills the same, which is giving high school students entering grades 9 thru 12 opportunities to be at the Y and engage in healthy activities during the summer. There's hopefully a little less screen time for these young people as well," said Lowe.
The free memberships are available to all teens entering 9th thru 12th grade. Memberships can be used at 20 YMCA locations in the Twin Cities through August 31rst.