The Paia Youth and Cultural Center will reopen with regular hours and staffing Aug. 26 after intensive staff training. Photo courtesy Paia Youth and Cultural Center

There are changes afoot at the Paia Youth and Cultural Center, and while the landmark has been shuttered recently, board chair Billy Jalbert said there’s no reason to worry.

“The center is closed this week for staff professional development,” Jalbert said. “We’ll also have limited operations next week for additional professional development. The youth center and Imua (Family Services) are working with Project Venture, which is a nationally recognized youth leadership program that we are a part of.”

Imua Executive Director Dean Wong said Friday the center would reopen Aug. 26 with regular hours and staffing.

In April, Imua Family Services and Paia Youth and Cultural Center reached an administrative agreement but did not merge. Wong said previously that Imua’s presence would help in terms of identifying additional funding sources.

He envisioned the center concentrating more on family support services and mental health issues while maintaining Project Venture.

On July 31, Brandon “Brando” LaRue ended a 13-year tenure as Project Venture director. LaRue was popular with center regulars and their parents, many of whom have fears that the paddling program LaRue made into a youth center staple might suffer.

Wong said Project Venture was “critical to the center” and that with a new project director in center alum Antonio Mason and several other new staffers aboard, the training was essential.

“Things like this have to be done to run a successful program more safely and effectively,” Wong said. “It is an investment in staff and team building.”

Wong explained that it was more economical to do the training all at once while the school year was just beginning.

Project Venture, which originated in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1988, is an outdoor and culture-based indigenous initiative that builds resilience, responsibility and healthy lifestyles through experiences like downwind paddling, running, hiking, camping, fishing and constructive play.

Jalbert said the board was not worried about the temporary closure, but parents, many of whom home school their children, are.

“I just worry that the kids will be in the wind and drift,” said Nanette Cunningham, whose 13-year-old son Bryce is a youth center regular.

Jalbert and Wong promised improved services, a better-trained staff and a cohesive team.

“We’re delighted to be offering our staff additional professional development opportunities so that they are better equipped to lead and support our members and the community,” Jalbert said.

Jalbert said the board was energized working with Imua and promised new initiatives through Project Venture.

Sheri Pfeiffer-Tsinajinnie, the New Mexico-based CEO of Project Venture, said although not intended as such, the program, shortly after its inception, was recognized as an evidence-based initiative that was useful in preventing substance abuse and self-destructive behaviors in indigenous youth.

This helped the growth of the program, she said.

The Paia Youth and Cultural Center is a youth-driven nonprofit located on the beach at Paia Bay with its own skatepark. Leaders said the center empowers young people through multiple hands-on life skills programs that promote leadership, culture, community service and adventure-based learning.

According to its website, Project Venture has served more than 9,000 Indigenous youth in nearly 100 different adaptations across 25 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, Canada, Hungary, and most recently in Jamaica.