The Christiansted and Frederiksted Boys and Girls Clubs are reopening their Teen Centers and will be holding feature theme nights, basketball tournaments, movie nights, Wii tournaments and lots more between now and Sept. 30.
The centers will be open every Wednesday and Friday night in Frederiksted and every Thursday and Saturday night in Christiansted from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., according to a statement from the Boys and Girls Club.
There will be a live band, food and door prizes this Wednesday June 16 at Frederiksted’s Teen Center and in Christiansted the following night.
Teen Center representative Lesa Edwards said Wednesday the centers are free to all residents thanks to a grant from the V.I. Law Enforcement Planning Commission. Although there is no fee, for insurance reasons, parents and teens must sign up in advance , said Edwards. They will be signing kids up this Saturday at Sunny Isles Shopping Center from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and everyone who signs up then can enter to win a free Wii game system or Ipod.
"We really want the kids to know there is a place to go over the summer," Edwards said. "We are going to have movie nights, showing "Avatar" on the 18th and 19th. We are planning a basketball tournament and lots of other activities."
The Boys and Girls Club will also be offering tutoring, mentoring and what Edwards called "aggression replacement training," aimed at helping young men find nonviolent ways of acting out their aggression and help them control violent impulses, among other programs.
The Boys and Girls Club needs volunteers to run the Teen Center and work with the teens, and they always need donations, Edwards said.
"If you want to volunteer, we would love to have you," she said. Just come to Sunny Isles Saturday or call the Christiansted Center at 778-8990, the Frederiksted Center at 772-3110, or call Edwards at 713-0756.
