Ansonia welcomes new Valley Save our Youth teen center
ANSONIA — The school year usually ends in June, which means teens suddenly have a lot of free time and usually nothing to do. But not anymore. Valley Save our Youth's teen center, the first in the city in over a decade, opened Saturday at 4 Fourth St. Teens will be able to learn skills, pass the time enjoying recreational activities and do it all in a safe and nurturing environment, according to director Len Duffus. The center, he said, will help young adults stay on the right path and off the streets.
“We have TVs, PlayStations, we have chess boards, we have checker boards, we have games, we have a pool table, we have everything that a kid will need to come out here and hang out,” Duffus said.
But that's not all. He said the center will have classes where young adults can learn a skill including how to manage money and get opportunities to travel outside of Ansonia. The organization took teens out to Adventure Park shortly before the center opened and Duffus said he also wants to continue those trips in the future.
He said he wants to expose people to different experiences to better prepare them for life after school. All employees will be trained to report any incidences of suspected child abuse, he said.
Duffus said he drove past a group of kids near Fourth Street right next to the center on Wednesday. They were playing basketball in the rain.
“Those kids don't want to get in trouble, they just want to play basketball,” Duffus said.
He said teens need something to do and the lack of resources for them makes it easier for teens to fall off the straight and narrow. Idle hands, he said, are the devil's playground and the center will have mentors as well. The reaction has been positive and locals have expressed interest in joining during the Juneteenth celebration on June 18, he said.
It's not only the first teen center in Ansonia in over a decade but Duffus said teens are also stakeholders. He said he solicited their input before the center opened.
“We got a gist of everything from them, and built it to where it's something that they share ownership and they're a part of it,” he said.
Duffus said he had an open discussion with several teens from the area who told him what they wanted to see in the teen center.They also gave their input on a mural painted there. The mural is made up of portraits including one of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager whose death in 2012 set off national protests and ongoing activism against racial injustice.
He said treating them like grown ups came naturally to him after he spent years as a football coach. Some kids, he said, gravitate towards that added responsibility.
“We're going to be treating them like adults, we're not going to be babying them. That's why it's catering to teens. I expect them to clean up after themselves. I expect them to take care of themselves and be adults,” he said.
David Morgan is the CEO of TEAM, a human resources agency that serves the Naugatuck Valley. TEAM has worked with Valley Save Our Youth, including helping Duffus get the organization nonprofit status and helping him get state grants, he said. TEAM also has a member of the organization on its board. Morgan said he's excited to finally see the center open.
It will fill a major void in the area, he said.
“They are committed to adolescents and youth of color. And they're filling a gap that frankly doesn't have a focused mission in service right now in the Valley,” Morgan said.
The center will be new, but there will also be reminders of the past. Ansonia had a community center but it closed a decade ago. Duffus said the manager of the building will be Sonia Williams, who he said also worked at the previous center.
“She was actually my counselor, instructor when I was there. So she's coming back to help us,” Duffus said.