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The Game Loft Announces Closure After 27 Years of Serving Belfast Youth

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February 10, 2025

Belfast, ME – After 27 years of serving Belfast youth, The Game Loft will close its doors on February 14, 2025, marking the end of a beloved community institution. This difficult decision comes after years of financial challenges, leadership transitions, and declining participation following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff and volunteers, who have been the backbone of our programs, have been informed, and most will be laid off as part of the closure. Limited operational support will remain in place to manage final reporting and administrative processes.

The I Know ME (IKME) program will continue to operate out of RSU 3 for the remainder of February, allowing time for discussions on a potential transition of the program to a new organization that can ensure its sustainability.

For nearly three decades, The Game Loft has not only provided a safe space for young people but has also fostered a culture of service and leadership. Youth involved in our programs have given back to Belfast through community cleanups, assisting those in need, and supporting local events—creating a lasting legacy of civic engagement. Their presence and service have been as integral to downtown Belfast as any long-standing business.

Despite efforts to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Game Loft faced declining participation and funding shortages. With donor fatigue, an unsuccessful search for new leadership, and the sale of our physical space, financial insolvency made this difficult decision unavoidable.

Thanks to the outpouring of community support in the summer of 2024, The Game Loft was able to extend its programming for an additional eight months, creating meaningful impact with a hopeful outlook. However, the exhaustion of local grant sources and donations from committed friends of the organization, the impending sale of our space, and limited state and federal funding left no viable path forward.

The Game Loft extends its deepest gratitude to the community, donors, volunteers, and the countless youth who have made the organization what it is today. While The Game Loft’s doors will close, its mission—to provide a safe, engaging space for youth—can live on. We encourage community members to continue fostering spaces where young people can connect, grow, and contribute.

Media Contact:
Tim Seymour
president@thegameloft.org
Maine Youth Alliance, Board President

I Know ME in Action

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American students discover Canada 

11 students from the I Know ME program (sister program to the Game Loft) explored neighboring New Brunswick, Canada during the week of August 24-28 . On the first day they were graciously received by the mayor of Saint John, Her Worship  Donna Leonard and Trevor Holder a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Saint John. The youth explored the history, geography, geology, art, people, places and food of our nearest Canadian neighbor. At the end of the week, they were able to contrast Maine and New Brunswick and gained a deeper understanding of the long relationship of Maine to the Maritime Provinces. Meeting the mayor and MLA were, from left to right: Devyn Freeman, Molly Thibault (AmeriCorps member), Desmin Littlefield, Wyatt Manieri (AmeriCorps member), Daniel Leonard, Joe Leonard, Linford Young, Gavin Bradstreet, Brian Phelps, Ray Estabrook, Dakota Freeman, Tyson Downs, Damien Hutchinson, Autumn Fletcher and Patricia Estabrook. 

I Know ME in Action

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The More Things Change…

One of my heroes is Frances Willard, crusader of the late 19th century. Her motto was “do everything!” And with that motto in mind the I Know ME program made our first movie. Ms. Willard did not say, “Do everything perfectly” or most of us would never launch into a new project. For us at the I Know ME program “Do everything” means “try everything.”

And so, in the spring of 2022 the I Know ME program went where we had never been before, we made our first movie. Thanks to Ned Lightner of Belfast Community Media, the results are far better than we had any right to expect but if nominated we will not accept the Academy Award. We invite you to join us on July 11 at 6:30 PM in Dreamland at the Colonial Theater in Belfast to see our effort, “The More Things Change.” The film runs approximately one hour and the showing is free with donations accepted. After the film we will be having a brief discussion with the cast and crew about their experiences and reflections on 19thcentury life. 

Unlike a feature film or even a TikTok video, the purpose of this film is help kids understand the past and how it relates to the present. The themes are school policy and bullying, topics that never seem to go out of style. The actors and crew members helped shaped the story and create the scenes and dialogue. 

We invite you to our world premiere of the film, knowing its weaknesses but also applauding its strengths. For the kids it was an opportunity to create and to reflect on education throughout the ages as well as “living” in 19th century Maine. For the adults it was a memorable time of seeing our vision come to life. 

We thank the Penobscot Historical Society for lending us their beautiful re-creation village for our filming. 

For more information about “The More Things Change” please call Ray Estabrook at 207-322-3229. 

The Game Loft in Action

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Let there be Pax on Earth, the Game Loft/I Know ME explores 19th century international history

Look at the picture to the left and what do you see? You might see four goofy kids talking with an even goofier older woman (me). What do I see? I see four diplomats representing Japan, Russia, Italy, and France in the 1890’s discussing the state of the world with a member of the press corps. You see, if just takes a little imagination. In April imagination met with factual learning in the Game Loft’s annual Pax Britannica event. Eight teams of youth and adults spent a full April vacation day exploring the events that led to the First World War. What is even more surprising is that these young people are not the ones who are normally enamored of education, in fact many of them are struggling, but they gladly spent a day talking about colonization, trade routes, negotiated settlements, treaties, alliances, and coaling rights in the far distant past. 

The object of the game is to re-create the period between 1888 and 1916 and to grab as much territory as possible without upsetting the balance of power and causing the Great War. Although the details differ slightly from actual events, the spirit of colonial expansion is the same. Most kids would not say that those topics inspired them to spend a spring day indoors. In Pax Britannica nations must balance the pressures from their own countries for greater revenue and power with the need to keep the lid on what is a boiling pot of international controversies. The countries that are timid will lose but causing the Great War also means defeat. 

The kids poured over maps, created strategies, negotiated, delegated, gave interviews, and interpreted a set of rules that are worthy of an international treaty. What caused this dedication? We didn’t let them know that this was “educational.”

Linford Young, Pax Britannica veteran and high school senior galvanized the room with his eloquent address as the president of the United States. He was able to use his skills and knowledge to get to victory in the game. 

Thank you to our AmeriCorps members who led the event and mentored the less experienced teams. 

Many of the players in Pax Britannica 2022 were new to the game but their grasp of complex issues was heartening. In particular, the coalition of several powers: Russia, France, Italy, Japan, and Austria-Hungary created a proto-League of Nations. In all the many years of playing Pax Britannica I have never seen a time before this where war was averted and nation depended on nation for peace and goodwill. I was truly moved by the spirit of compromise they showed. 

Imparting knowledge and wisdom is the work of schools, but it is a pleasure when afterschool can add a unique perspective to the education process.