ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—This summer, the Bergen Family Center’s Summer Drop-In Teen Program is a great way for Englewood youth to have fun and stay safe.
Participants are Englewood students entering grades sixth to eight, as well as a few high school students, and the program, which can accommodate 50 teens, is almost filled to capacity.
The Summer Drop-In Teen Program was started this year by Bergen Family Center Vice President Liz Corsini with a private grant from an Englewood resident. The program runs Monday through Friday, 3–8 p.m., through Aug. 16.
Program supervisor Olga Correa and program director Mariam Gerges are leading the initiative. Program facilitators include Alan Morrissey and Leilah Blain. They are assisted by Counselors in Training interns Jason Perez, Beatriz Suriel and Nicoletta Yuelys.
The program includes team— building activities, culinary arts with Morrissey (an award-winning chef), arts and crafts, yoga, swimming, and competitive sports training and drills in football, basketball and soccer. Thanks to the team-building activities, by the end of the first week, most all of the 42 teens, many new to the center, knew each other’s names and had formed friendships.
The program also includes community guest speakers who talk about their careers and give advice for success. On the roster are presentations by: staff from Englewood Health; David Cohen, founder and president of Vocational Alternatives Inc., whose specialty is preventing domestic violence; and Shelly Perez, a correction officer who works at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
“This program is very focused on leadership and mentorship,” Gerges said. “We even have teens who approach the instructors privately to discuss issues at home or in school.”
There is a one-time fee of $75 for the program that covers all activities, including daily meals and snacks. Corsini explained that for families in need, that fee is waived.
“Nobody is turned away here,” she said.
During the course of the summer, there are also six field trips that provide fun as well as educational experiences—a tour of The Intrepid in New York City, the Funplex indoor/outdoor adventure park in East Hanover, the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, the AMC movie theater in Ridgefield to see “The Lion King,” a nature walk and picnic in Alpine, and a bowling trip.
Gerges is proud that “Unlike other mandatory programs during the school year, the kids choose to come here and they love it. At pick up time, we have kids who tell their parents that they want to stay!”
This enthusiasm displayed by the teens is evident all day long.
Jada Jones said, “I really like all the activities and the freedom we have to pick the ones that we want.”
Fifteen-year-old Aaliya Paduela also has great things to say about this program.
“The Drop-in Teen Program gives young people a safe environment to have fun and meet new friends. This program has inspired me to become a mentor to kids.”
As such, for the Summer Drop-in Teen Program’s small price to pay, some teens are already planning to pay it forward.