"The Youth/Teen Center has many participants who show up every day of the week from open until close in order to have somewhere to go after school, get a snack, and because of that they have a genuine connection with our staff. One participant specifically walks here from school every day, often times carrying multiple textbooks on his back all the way across town. Even during the cold months, he hardly fails to show up.
During a conversation with one of the Teen Center staff, he told them that he doesn't care how much snow is on the ground, because it's important for him to come to the program because he feels like he belongs. His consistency coming to the program helped him not only build connections with the staff, but also with other participants. He made friends here that he wouldn't have at school, to the point where he now is able to safely get transported to and from the Youth/Teen Center (with permission from his parents) with friends he made here."
