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Mission The Program provides advocacy for a safe, accepting,
and stimulating environment for healthy teen empowerment offering a broad spectrum
of initiatives supporting family and community involvement for young people. Vision
To become an influential and proactive resource that the community, parents,
schools, and teens turn to when seeking assistance in fully nurturing, developing,
mentoring, and understanding teenagers. Purpose
WE: Create, enhance and develop intimacy for youth within
the community by creating an extended family. Embrace the lives and journeys
of youth by remaining connected to them regardless of their choices, behavior,
outward appearance or production. Provide experiences that build character,
develop a "successful" joy-filled life, and create a desire to make the world
better through community outreach. Affirm that relationships are more important
than programs - only through relationships can we can properly influence youth,
break down fear and build trust. Realize that youth choose their mentors
based on their evaluation of true care, empathy and understanding. Recognize
that adults and youth together create a "distinctive place" based upon mutual
acceptance, value and belonging. Involve communities in meeting the specific
needs of youth, promote community-wide advocacy for youth, and remain on the leading
edge in creating broad initiatives to support youth. Remain actively committed
to protecting the integrity of the Center through policies and procedures, and
developing mentors who can fully nurture and understand youth. Listen
and are present without judgment or condemnation. Believe youth choices
and input are valued and essential in creating their environment.
History The Angwin Community Teen Center has been in operation
since May of 2004 with the goal of providing a special place and nurturing environment
for Howell Mountain teens, grades 5-12+, as well as reaching out to St. Helena,
Deer Park, and Pope Valley youth. Our ultimate goal is creating a preventive,
supportive, and redemptive system to reduce high-risk behavior among our community
youth with the intend of developing resilience and citizens desiring to build
their community. Our outreach extends to working in close conjunction with
our local schools, families, and community members, as well as, presenting our
Communities Building Youth Seminars in Angwin and St. Helena which focus on multiple
areas involving the entire community in youth development.
Statement of Opportunity of Need With the reduction
in adult/child mentoring time available with the growing number of two working
parents, minimal or no extended family, and the priority of schools to teach a
more intense curriculum, insufficient time is available for the vital and daily
one on one needed of teens today. As a result, disconnects take place between
youth and adults, which translate into negativism, rebellion, high risk behavior
and youth problems growing at an alarming rate. The Teen Center is a means
of addressing this problem with adults being available with the expressed mission
of connecting, mentoring, and developing “extended family” connections
with young people, especially those who tend to be neglected or fall through the
cracks of traditional care. It also addresses the need for youth having a place
to receive help with their homework, hang out with friends in a safe and fun environment,
and unwind and reduce the stress of the day. Although local schools care
for children until their parents arrive, the Teen Center provides a closeness
and unique informal atmosphere during the critical after school hours unlike other
programs. Board of Directors
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Mark Pacini, Chair
Beau Van Deren, Vice Chair
Tom Amato, Executive
Director
Gary Brown, Treasurer
Megan Milholland, Secretary
Rick
Bockmann
Jim Clifton
Jillian Helmer
Guy Qvistgaard
Meg Scrofani
| Tom Amato, Executive Director | | |
Contact information - Physical
Address
- 19 Angwin Plaza, Angwin, CA 94508
- Mailing
Address
- P.O. Box 268 , Angwin, CA 94508
- Site
Phone
- Contact Person
- Tom Amato, Executive Director
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