Teen Center Gets New Name, New Programs

Teen drinking continues to be a problem in Port Washington, as evidenced by the recent cancellation of Schreiber's Blue and White Night. There is, however, a resource in town that was created just for this reason 30 years ago, and provides a safe and supervised environment for teens.

The Port Washington Youth Council was founded in 1980 in response to a near fatal car accident involving alcohol. The most visible project of the Youth Council has been the Port Washington Teen Center, which is housed in the Landmark on Main Street building. This year, the Teen Center has had a rebirth with a name change and a program overhaul.

"The after-school program had always been poorly attended," said Julie Harnick, president of the Port Washington Youth Council Board of Directors. "More kids were coming to the Teen Center when we were offering specific programs and instructors that they liked and couldn't find elsewhere."

When the Teen Center reopened this past September, it was with a new name – the PiT – and a new, program-driven agenda. Where the former Teen Center had largely been an open house situation where teens could show up after school and have a place to "hang out," the PiT now provides specific programs.

"Skateboard Night is without a doubt the most popular program," PiT Director Mike Donnelly said. "Skateboarding has become very popular in Port, and the community has been talking for years about building a skate park, but has never followed through. Instead, the kids are chased from areas by store owners, patrons, and cops leaving them practically nowhere to go. Skateboard Night satisfies a great need for the teens to have an outlet for one of their favorite activities."

Another very popular regular program is the Mixed Martial Arts, taught by Schreiber history teacher Doug Matina. Other ongoing programs include basketball, girls kickboxing, and competition night (which includes games ranging from Guitar Hero to ping pong.)

Much of the programming is developed by the PiT Youth Council, a group of teens that meets almost every Monday to plan future activities. According to Donnelly, two recent programs that the Youth Council put together were a Cultural Thanksgiving and a Winter Wonderland party before Christmas break. There was a dance in January, and more events like this are planned for the future.

"We are also planning a special Skateboarding Concert on Feb. 13," Donnelly said. "We will set up a couple of live bands in the corner who will play while the kids skate."

Schedules of PiT activities and events are announced on the loudspeaker and distributed at Weber Middle School and Schreiber High School, and the PiT has a page on Facebook (The PiT at Landmark) where teens can get information and interact.