Investing in Teens – and Our Community
Northside Child Development Center Expands Services to Teens
Too old for most after-school programs but too young to be completely unsupervised, teens don’t have many after-school options. Left to their own accord, they could easily find themselves in trouble.
And in North Minneapolis – where the state's highest crime rate is recorded – trouble is not hard to find.
Catholic Charities’ Northside Child Development Center recently expanded to meet the need for an out-of-school time program for children ages 13 –15 in North Minneapolis.
“If we keep children off the streets and doing positive things, there’s less time for them to do negative things,” said Damont Jones, manager of the teen program at Northside, pictured to the right.
The program’s enrichment opportunities increase a child’s chances at academic and social success and proactively invest in a child’s development, Jones explained. All activities — from job-skill development to discussions on self-esteem — ready a teen for transition to adulthood.
Participation in after-school programs such as Northside is linked to improved grades, higher aspirations for college, better work habits, better interpersonal skills and reduced drop-out rates, according to research by the Minnesota Commission on Out-of-School Time.
“We want to show children how to become well-rounded adults. That’s our ultimate goal,” Jones said. “It’s in everybody’s best interest. It invests in our youth and helps build a strong community.”
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