Teen
Late
Night!
(80-150
teens every week!)
Every
Friday night from 8:30-11 p.m.,
teens, ages
13-19, stay up late and experience a night filled
with many
great activities. Teens are able to swim,
use the hot tub,
play basketball, wallyball and board and table
games. Refreshments, including pizza, are served. There
is no cost for members and non-members only pay $5
per person.
4-on-4 BB - Boys vs Girls! Hangin'
in the Activity Center Killer
Dodge Ball!
History:
Teen Late Night started out as
"Friday Night Hoops" and focused mainly on
Basketball and went as late as 1 am in the morning
on Saturday. It attracted a lot of teen males and
testosterone. There were many arguments, fights and
a fair amount of gang activity still present.
An effort to re-direct the
program into a more structured and with more control
over the behavior of the teens, was made by
Assistant Executive Director, Jane Erlandsen, and
was supported by Executive Director, Glen Godfrey,
and the Kitsap Family YMCA Board. The current Teen
Late Night at the Y has evolved from those changes.
Many doubters or so-called
experts told us this program would not succeed under
these closely monitored conditions and strict rules
of behavior. Other activities were added,
particularly swimming in the adjacent City Pool, to
make the activities more attractive. And to begin
with, the numbers dropped and many teens did not
come, but the word began to get out that this was a
safe and fun place to be on a Friday night, and the
numbers gradually began to recover. Now, depending
on the other school athletic events on Friday
nights, the numbers are typically somewhere between
60 and 90 teenagers every Friday night.
Key Principles:
The key to the current Teen Late
Night is the commitment to the key YMCA principles
of Caring, Respect, Honesty and
Responsibility. Each Friday every teen that
comes to participate must re-commit to conducting
themselves according to these principles. The entry
door has a handprint with the word of the night on
it. Each teen must put his hand on the symbol and
say the word to gain access.
For teens that are new to the
Program, they must pass a "probation" period of
three weeks or three visits, during which they must
study the rules associated with each of the key
words and pass a verbal test to gain entrance. Only
after doing this successfully for three visits are
they allowed entry by merely re-pledging by saying
the key word and placing their hand on the hand
symbol.
These are the simple rules of
behavior associated with the four key principle
words that the new teens are asked to study and pass
the test on, and all teens are asked to observe
while they are "in the house":
BE RESPONSIBLE:
BE CARING:
-
Practice good sportsmanship!
-
No cussing, taunting, arguing
or fighting.
SHOW RESPECT:
-
No inappropriate touching of
others
-
That means no pushing,
hugging, slapping, etc.
-
Respect staff - they are here
to ensure that EVERYONE can have fun
BE HONEST:
HAVE FUN!
Character
Development:
Our most experienced staff
members are used to monitor the activities and the
behavior - not junior staff and not other teens, as
is done in some other teen programs at other Y's.
This is done to maintain the consistency of
standards used to monitor the behavior and
performance of the attendees.
Behavior is held to a high
standard and violators are dealt with immediately
any time a violation is observed. A warning is
issued to the teen on any first offense of the
evening, unless it is flagrant, violent or a bad
attitude is immediately presented to staff. In those
cases, the teen is removed from the play area and
spoken to in the office area. The teen may be left
with just a warning, if the attitude straightens
out, or may be suspended for the evening and the
teen's parents called to pick him or her up.
In the case of repeated or
multiple violation of these simple rules, the teen
may be suspended from Teen Late Night for one month
or for several months.
On the flip side, teens that
exhibit exemplary behavior and adherence to the
rules are recognized for their good behavior. Teens
that show good examples of any of the four key
principles may be given a "Free Pass" by any staff
member - meaning they can get into Teen Late Night
free the following month. If they are a Y member,
meaning that they can attend Teen Late Night free,
they may give their pass to a friend so he or she
may attend for free.
Several teens that are good
examples of behaving to the stated rules are
identified by staff every month and one is selected
as the "Teen of the Month." This teen receives a
Teen Late Night tee-shirt, other prizes, and a free
three-month membership in the Kitsap Family YMCA.
In this manner, the model of the
Teen Late Night program is enhanced and strengthened
- the negative behavior is discouraged or eliminated
and the good behavior is rewarded and reinforced.
Award
& Recognition:
It is for these
reasons that the Kitsap Family YMCA Teen Late Night
program was given an award in October 2004 by Kitsap
County in recognition for "Making a Difference" for
their contribution in the field of substance abuse
treatment and prevention.
We are proud that
our Teen Late Night program succeeded, in spite of
the criticism and obstacles, to make a difference in
the teen community of Kitsap County. With the help
of the United Way and many other corporate and
individual contributors, we will continue to provide
this outstanding program.
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