The Santee Teen Center is now a teenager.
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| Some current members of the Santee Teen Center |
Thirteen years ago, the city opened its first teen center at
a former retail space in a shopping center in central Santee. Five years later,
in 2006, it moved to a cottage-sized building at the Santee Lakes Recreation
Preserve.
Although the move put the teen center in a less accessible
area of town, the city partnered with the Santee School District to provide affordable
after-school transportation for students in grades 6 to 8.
“Santee Lakes is an excellent location for our teen center
because of the access to nature and outdoor recreation opportunities” said
Recreation Supervisor Aliah Brozowski, who oversees the city’s programs for
teens and seniors. “Having our teen center located at Santee Lakes allows us to
provide recreation programs to our teens in a pleasant, safe and well-maintained
park setting.”
The city’s cooperative relationship with Padre Dam Municipal
Water District, which operates the Recreation Preserve, proved invaluable in
early 2012 when the teen center was threatened by closure due to budget cuts.
Padre Dam’s board of directors agreed to lower the
district’s rent for the teen center building to $1 per month, saving the city
more than $12,000 annually. The action
spared the teen center from being closed, and a valuable community resource was
preserved.
The teen center follows the classic model of an after-school
drop in recreation program. But it’s more than a place to play ping pong or
toss a Frisbee. It’s also an incubator where young people can mature and learn
leadership skills under the Junior Leader program.
Some current staff members began coming to the center as
middle school students, then graduated from Junior Leader training before
returning as part-time aides in their college years. Teen center staffers must
pass a background check, are first aid and CPR certified and receive special
training for working with adolescents and teens.
“Our staff members are passionate and dedicated young adults
who take their role as mentors very seriously,” Brozowski said. “They are the
most important amenity the center has to offer.”
“The center uses a low staff-to-participant ratio to ensure
safety and personal connections with each teen,” she said.
Activities at the center are geared toward students from
grades 6 to 9. A typical after-school
session includes homework time, an indoor activity, such as a pool tournament,
and an outdoor activity, such as bicycling or fishing. Teens are encouraged to help plan and
implement the daily activities, ensuring their engagement and interest in the
programming.
When the opportunity arises, high school students are
recruited as volunteers to help younger students with their homework and to serve
as a role model while they navigate the teenage experience. The city would like
to entice more high school volunteers to fill the “junior staff” positions.
“We’re trying to recruit 11th and 12th
graders to be tutors and mentors,” said Brozowski. “It’s one component where we have room for
growth, and it would add a lot to our program.”
Editor’s Note: Annual
membership is $41 for Santee residents and $55 for non-residents, or $5 per
day. Parents can register online or at Santee City Hall. Financial aid is available. After-school
transportation also is available during the school year for Santee School
District students in grades 6 to 8 for $46 per month or
$15 per week.
