Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 29, 1990 TAG: 9006280305
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
"Right now they're hanging out on street corners or cruising with anyone who's got a car," said Steve Watson, who has served on the advisory board for Pulaski County's Office on Youth for five years.
Other teens visit friends. Or they watch television - an average of 27 hours a week, according to a 1985 survey.
Officials with the Office on Youth have spent the past few years looking for alternatives - for programs that can help fill the leisure time of youths who complain about being bored.
A teen center is high on the officials' wish list.
"Teen-agers especially need a place to gather where they're not harassed and where they can do their own thing," said Terri Gregory, director of the Office on Youth. "They also need structure."
Watson said studies show that teens who are involved in adult-supervised activities are less likely to get in trouble with drugs and alcohol.
"We've been beating our heads against a wall to come up with a delinquency prevention plan that would cover all of the bases," he said. "We felt the center idea would be a way to put some of our recommendations into action."
So far, the Office on Youth has completed only the first phase of its plan - a quick study to see if teen-agers would be support the idea of a new center.
The response? A resounding "yes."
Out of the 290 students at Pulaski County High School who filled out a survey recently, 280 said they wanted a teen club.
"I think they kind of need it," said Kellie Hancock, 13, of Draper. "It gets boring around here."
James Gray, 16, of Pulaski said he and his friends would like some place to go - just to talk.
"I think it's a good thing to do - to get out and meet other people," he said. "There aren't many places for teen-agers to go and hang out without a lot of really young kids or really old kids being there."
Gray said he usually sees people over 18 going out at night, while youths stay at home. "It seems like there are more places for them to go," he said.
Students surveyed said they'd be willing to work to make a teen center a reality. About 230 students said they'd be willing to contribute time to help with a center, and 185 students said they would be willing to pay from $1 to $3 to get in.
They had a wish list of their own. And food was definitely on it.
Suggestions for the center included hot dogs, soda, pizza, nachos and a non-alcoholic bar.
Teens also said they would like to have activities including dancing, pool, pingpong and skating. There were also a few suggestions for a big-screen television.
Gregory said that getting input from the teens would be the only way to make a center work. "Adults can design things for teens but they won't mean diddly squat," she said. "The teens need to feel an ownership of this . . . the kids have got to have their say-so."
Gregory envisions a board of directors made up of teens and adults. The adults could offer background expertise in leadership, budgets and running a business. The teens would would offer ideas and help run the place.
Gregory said she wants to let the idea of a teen center gel over the summer, and pick it back up when school starts and students can participate.
Meanwhile, she said, she will try to motivate clubs and civic organizations to get involved with the center - either personally or financially.
Watson estimates that the center will cost about $12,000 a year to run, not including starting or building costs.
"We have to start looking at fund-raising and getting donations," he said. So far, one piece of land has been offered for the center just outside of Dublin. Watson said he had no further details on the land.
It probably will be at least two years before the center is built, Watson said. "We don't really have a time frame yet," he said. "I'd love to see it go up next month . . . it's going to be a rather major undertaking to bring this into reality."
by CNB