The Bridge Family Center urges teens to surround themselves with “positive people.”

Submitted release by Nancy Hunt, Community Services and Communications Associate at The Bridge Family Center.

Though the words “back to school” and “summer’s almost over” are expletives to the ears of most teenagers, hopefully there is a silver lining for those who are looking forward to the re-opening of the Teen Center located in the Elmwood Community Center.

Celebrating its 15th year serving West Hartford, the Teen Center, staffed and operated by the Bridge Family Center, is a FREE, supervised, safe, clean, and substance-free place for teens to hang out after school, do their homework, and stay out of trouble.

The Center offers both informal socializing and organized programs such as: pick-up games of basketball, billiards, Ping-Pong, Xbox, creative arts, and cooking. There are also tournaments with prizes, a holiday dinner and raffle, and member-of-the-month gift cards! So encourage your Hall or Conard high-schoolers to check out the “teen scene” at the Center.

All Teen Center participants are expected to understand and sign an Honor Code that enforces behavioral expectations and encourages good values and tolerance. The staff is there to guide members through problem-resolution, decision-making, as well as relationship-building skills.

Teens can expect to meet new people and make friends, but are also encouraged to bring peers to join them. The best part is that parents will know their children are protected and out of trouble and kids will be happy to be there.

The West Hartford Teen Center is located in the Elmwood Community Center at 1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford. There is NO CHARGE to come to the Teen Center. It is open on Monday and Friday from 2:30-5:00 p.m., Wednesday from 1:00-3:30 p.m., and one Friday night per month from 7:00-10:00 p.m.

The Teen Center is sponsored by the Bridge Family Center in collaboration with Elmwood Community Center. Funding support is provided by the Town of West Hartford, the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust, and the William and Alice Mortensen Foundation.

For more information, please contact Joe Barbino, Bridge Youth Counselor, at 860-313-1119, ext.102.