More teens have a place to go after school with the opening of the the group's new clubhouse in Lawrence Watch video
LAWRENCE -- Ewing High School junior Kyasia Collins was constantly getting into trouble at school when her parents decided that the best thing to do would be to send her to the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County. Though she had heard about it, she never had an interest in joining.
"I thought it was for little kids and I thought I was going to be the only teenager," the 16-year-old said.
There was little space for middle and high school students at the club's Centre Street location in Trenton, but now more teens like Collins have a place to go after school with the opening of the the group's new clubhouse in Lawrence.
"I'm getting in less trouble because when I get here, there's people I can talk to instead of resorting to violence," Collins said.
She gets her homework done during a "Power Hour" before letting out some energy in the arcade and teen lounge.
That was the very vision of the new 35,000-square-foot space: to expand its programming for teens, a vastly underserved population in the area.
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"They can come here because we have dedicated space," Executive Director David Anderson said. "There's nowhere else here in Mercer County and it's very rare in the rest of the country, but it's happening here."
Teens from across the county are welcome and students from Lawrence, Ewing and Trenton Central high schools are bused daily.
In a separate wing, preschool and afterschool programs are available to K-8 students in Lawrence and Ewing.
The building -- a former manufacturing site just south of Halo Farms and Trenton Farmers Market -- has a gym, art, dance and karate studios, a teen center, a technology center, a STEM center, a game room, a teaching kitchen and cafe and multipurpose classrooms.
The College and Career Center helps prepare teens for whatever path they decide to take after high school and offers workshops in SAT and ACT prep, financial aid and essay writing, among other things. Undergraduate students from Princeton University, Rider University and The College of New Jersey will also serve as mentors to them.
"They're our future and if we want to be part of making sure they're developed from a whole standpoint ... we need to invest in them," said Will Miller, the senior director of teens and College and Career programs. "That means time, money and programs to be able to help them prepare for the future."
He said teens can realize their full potential when they're surrounded by caring adults.
"It's decisions, not circumstances, that determine outcomes," he said.
In addition to the academic programs, the teens also benefit from the social and recreational activities.
"We have a full schedule for them from 3 to 8 p.m. every day that has them engaged and moving and not necessarily just hunkering down in the arcade for three hours," Miller said.
Every Friday from 8 to 11 p.m., "Teen Nights" will offer a rotating activity each week: open mic night, sports night, WPST dance socials and special events like a Halloween Bash, Harvest Fest and New Year's Eve Bash.
Since opening Sept. 2, 125 kids have been coming daily and Anderson expects that by the spring, there will be between 1,200 and 1,500 kids walking through the doors.
"It's the partners, programs and caring staff that will help change kids' lives, will help them reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens," he said.
The multi-year project was made possible by donors who contributed $7.5 million to the club's "More Than Hope" campaign.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.