About

Helping to Fulfill the Needs of the Youth:

The Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center was founded in March of 2014. Director, Anna Coleman and her husband, Steve, felt Patagonia and its surrounding communities of Sonoita and Elgin needed a youth center to help give the youth support during after-school hours. After finding a building to rent, the Colemans enlisted the help of the area’s youth to construct walls, paint, decorate, and landscape the upcoming youth center. The hours that the youth volunteered provided the bridge in allowing the youth center to become theirs and they gained a sense of pride and ownership.

On May 1, 2014, the Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center opened its doors for the community’s youth. Attendance grew as the young people spread the word of the center.  In 2017, PYEC was gifted with a donation that allowed a purchase of a house for a permanent location for the youth center.  After several months of renovations by Steve Coleman, the center welcomed the youth back into their new space.  The new center has a pool table, game room, art room, separate gathering rooms for younger and older youth, a commercial kitchen, a welcoming living room/dining room space and a fenced back yard area. The youth gather at the center during the after-school hours on the weekdays and occasionally on the weekends, to do homework, eat healthy meals (often prepared by the youth themselves), play games, watch TV/movies, play video games, and become part of an extended “family”. Peer mentoring activities are an integral part of life at PYEC.