That Place For Teens: A Place Where Your Kids Can Be
By Harper Finley, BEAT reporter
BRUNSWICK, OH- Across from the Brunswick Middle School, there is a place on Tuesdays and Thursdays where kids in grades 6-8 can go to hang out with other kids their age. This place is called That Place For Teens, and it is a place where your kids can spend time with their friends, get a snack, sometimes get homework done, but still have fun while there.
Faithwalk, a local church, determined that Brunswick needed “a safe place for teens to hang out.” That’s when the idea for That Place For Teens came. Fearing religion would keep teens away, the church instead decided to give someone else the controls, the Youth for Christ of Northern Ohio/YFC. Faithwalk rented out a space, modified it to match their needs, and gave it to YFC. Then, on October 19, 2019, they opened That Place For Teens. All of their supplies, such as their meals and items for their activities are all donated by local churches, organizations and individuals.
That Place For Teens opens at 2:45 p.m, where kids are welcome to hang out. They have organized games, air hockey, a pool table, ping pong, board games, and much more. They also get a light meal and have table talk. Roger Seward, one of the volunteers, stated, “We’re faith-based, but not faith-forced. We do say a prayer before a meal and we ask for respect, not necessarily observance.” They do fun games that involve items such as water balloons, shaving cream, and other fun things. They also do family nights, where parents and siblings can join in on the activities.
The people who help run That Place For Teens are all volunteers. Some of them work in the church, while others are just adults who want to help. All of the volunteers are background checked to ensure the safety of the children attending. “We truly are here for ‘our’ kids…and we can always use more adult help.” said Seward.
That Place For Teens is located at 1480 Pearl Road, #9 in Brunswick.
Harper Finley, Brunswick Middle School, is one of over fifty student “backpack journalists” (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program, celebrating its 25th year, is sponsored by Donut Land, Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, MODA Gifting, Scripps Howard Foundation and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to https://www.bcsoh.org/community/new-beat-site to learn more about the Program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com/?folder=ALL to view videos produced by the students.
PHOTOS: Photo #1 - Kids dressing up for a fun activity; Photo #2 - Everyone doing one of That Place For Teen's many activities; Photo #3 - Kids playing their giant Jenga as an activity; Photo #4 - A chalk wall you could draw on.