Here it is June and the start of those lazy, hazy days of summer one hears about. At the Bath Area Family YMCA summer is a special time when the focus is on Youth Development, one of the three support legs of the Y (the other two being Healthy Living and Social Responsibility). Programs such as these help develop confidence and healthy habits at a time in a young person’s life when such qualities are becoming established. The Y philosophy understands that investing in youth helps all of society. Here are four examples of youth-oriented programs:

1) Dr. Leonardo Buck had two passions in life: Golf and the YMCA. For the first, Buck was a charter member of the Maine Golf Association. His relationship to the Y was cultivated over a time period that began in 1929 and made his membership the longest by a wide margin. Dr. Buck died recently at the age of 96. The Y leadership decided to honor Dr. Buck by organizing the Dr. Leonardo Buck Golf Classic with the money raised going to the Y’s Youth Development programs. This year the event is at The Bath Golf Club, on July 21. Registration is now open — come have a fun day for a great cause.

2) No one, no matter how old, should face the day unable to put food in their bodies for whatever reason. That underlying philosophy is why the federal government supports a free breakfast and lunch program through the nation’s public school systems. The program works during the school year, but what about summer time, when school is not in session? That is why the Y and Bath Recreation will be extending the free breakfast and lunch program to make it available to all children and teenagers during the summer months. Under this program anybody under the age of 18 in the midcoast region is eligible for breakfast and lunch at no charge. Last summer more than 8,000 meals were served. Meals are available at the Y and at other community sites.

3) Teen Adventure at Sky Lodge for area youngsters from 12-15 years old. Participants will spend five days and four nights in the pristine beauty of the upper Kennebec and Moose River valleys north of Jackman, Maine. Participants will camp on the grounds of the Sky Lodge, a luxurious facility shared by the YMCA’s of Maine. Activities for the youngsters include swimming, hiking, low and high elements rope course and field sports like soccer. A second week is also offered for family activities.

4) August 9 is the date for this year’s Paddle Palooza, a five-mile paddlefest from the Water Street boat ramp to the Bay Bridge landing. Each participant is requested to raise $100 in pledges, with the money earmarked for the Y’s Annual Campaign for youth development. Flat water makes for efficient paddling, ending with a lobster bake at the Freight Shed on the Bath waterfront. Contact the Y for more information.