This area shows off part of the Teen Center’s “community zone,” a place where the teens will be spending most of their time. This will be where consoles can be brought and played, club officials said.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — In the midst of a pandemic, the Boys and Girls Club of Moultrie is trying to breathe new life into its teens and their community with the unveiling of the R.D. Smith Teen Center.

The Teen Center is the result of a partnership between the BGC and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Parks and Recreation Authority. It’s been in the making for a little over a year now after conversations on it started a little over two years ago.

Now, kids aged 13-18 will be reaping the rewards of their patience. This was made for the betterment of them, after all, CEO Joseph Matchett said.

“This is a dedicated program space for out of school time for teenagers,” he said. “To my understanding, it’s the only dedicated facility for teenagers in the county, so we’re well overdue for the usage of it.”

It’s a place for teens to be proud of — a place of learning and a place for expression, Matchett said. With the pandemic still well in place, the center’s official opening on Sept. 21 came just in time.

“The uncertainty of the pandemic right now causes stress and frustration with everyone in our community, especially teenagers and children,” Matchett said. “We want this to be a place where they can come relax and take away the pandemic off their shoulders.”

The center’s “community zone” comes with a pool table, a ping pong table, several seating areas, a console gaming space, a computer lab, Wi-Fi throughout the facility, ceiling tiles painted with various colleges (an attempt to get teens ready for the college tours they’ll take throughout the year), and walls with inspiring messages adorning them.

It can be used for leisure or for homework, but a filtering software is in place to keep away unwanted websites. Site Director Nichole Marks said she’s excited but nervous upon opening.

It’s a new chapter for her. Before, she was the director over the Teen Room and now she has an entire facility to help these teens come into their own.

“We’re going to run the same programs, it’s just a new facility,” she said. “We didn’t reinvent the wheel, just gave them a new space to do it in.”

Of course, with a seven- to eight-hour school day, Marks said the focus is on making their after-school time in the Teen Center less like school while retaining learning elements.

Upon arrival, the teens would have time akin to study hall — the “power hour” — to do homework and get help they may need. Then comes socializing in the center’s “community zone.” 

Programs, such as male- and female-oriented mentoring programs “Aspiring to Manhood” and “Smart Girls,” are performed throughout their time there to discuss the issues they may face in society today.

“We’ll have a schedule,” Marks said. “There are certain times set out for Boys and Girls club programs and their leisure time.”

This is done monthly so as to give Marks leeway and prep time for what’s to come or prepare any necessary changes.

And as much as she would enjoy a packed house, Marks said that can’t happen or it’d violate social distancing recommendations.

It begged the question of how teens will enjoy the facility when capacity is limited, but Marks said they already know who’s coming after contacting all teens currently enrolled.

“We have an expectant of who will show up and who won’t,” she said. “I don’t expect 100 children to walk through those doors because we’ve already made those phone calls and we’ve already contacted those parents.”

Either way, the Teen Center will be a hub for the community, District One County Commissioner Barbara Jelks said.

But that’s the way it used to be. She recognized the adversity the BGC faced when it first acquired the R.D. Smith Youth Center back in July 2019, but said when people see what they’ve done to it, they’ll see it’s a plus for the community.

“This is a place where they can be safe, we have educational benefits here, they can use the computers, they can do homework, they can get tutoring — they can get just about whatever they need,” Jelks said.

Our greatest investment should be in our youth anyway, she said. 

“I attended this youth center as a child and we had a dance here just about every week after the football games,” she said. “It was really a hub for all the young people in the community. Again, I’m glad to see it’s going to be a hub for young people.”

With the opening of this and another teen center in Berlin to open up on Sept. 21, it’s only about going up from here. 

Matchett is already setting up a mentoring partnership with PCOM South Georgia via students in the Student National Medical Association.

President Jasmine Rogers said since their organization’s goal is to get more minority students represented in medicine, they want to convey that same message to the teens.

“Our program, specifically, wants to build this partnership so they can see more minorities doing the things they want to do,” she said. “We can help them build that confidence. You’ll definitely see more of us here.”

It’s all about letting them know their options, Chairman Chizoba Akunwanne said.

“We want them to know they can further their education, go into the military and just teach them — mentor them into adulthood — financial-wise, relationship-wise and things like that,” Akunwanne said.