New teen center near Paso Robles park gives kids a place ‘just for them.’ What’s it like?

More than 160 kids flocked to the grand opening of the Paso Robles Teen Center on Monday afternoon, eager for their chance to play video games, enjoy snacks and socialize with friends in the new space.

The new teen center is located at the gymnasium at Centennial Park in Paso Robles, between Lewis Middle School and Paso Robles High School.

During Monday’s event, Paso Robles Recreational Services coordinator Heather Stephenson wrote in an email, she encountered “so many kids thanking us for having this space just for them.”

“We want it to continue to grow and be the space that the community wants it to be,” Stephenson said.

Survey: Paso Robles needs space for teenagers to hang out

Paso Robles residents have long complained about the lack of youth-centered activities in the North County community.

“Whenever I make plans with my friends, we kind of just ended up hanging around downtown,” said 17-year-old Praise Namuleme, a Paso Robles resident and senior at Mission Prep High School in San Luis Obispo. “While that is allowed — it’s a public space — it just doesn’t feel as welcoming as it would if it were a specific place dedicated teenagers.”

When the Paso Robles Youth Commission surveyed locals about what they felt was missing in the community, 85% of respondents identified a space for teenagers to hang out as a community gap, according to Namuleme, the commission’s chair.

“Young people in this city are in desperate need of greater services and activities,” Namuleme wrote in a February letter seeking community grant funding. “While conducting community outreach in preparation of its strategic plan, Recreation Services received many comments on the need for more youth-centered opportunities.”

Space in Centennial Park gymnasium was teen center before

The space where the Paso Robles Teen Center is located was once used for a similar purpose.

In 2005, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District received a grant to turn the room in the Centennial Park gymnasium into a teen center that was operated by the YMCA until 2010, when funding ran out, Paso Robles Recreation Services Manager Lynda Plescia said.

The space was used as a meeting room and space for summer camp programming before it became the current Paso Robles Teen Center, Plescia said.

This time, funding for the teen center is provided mostly by the REC Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with the city’s recreation services department, Stephenson said.

A Justin Vineyards & Wine community grant was awarded to the Paso Robles Youth Commission as seed money to help get the teen center started, she said.

Paso Robles Teen Center has video games, cafe

What’s the new Paso Robles Teen Center like?

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a huge space, but it’s definitely great for several different activities,” Namuleme said.

Decorated with trendy colors, the teen center has video game consoles and plenty of charging stations for electronic devices, plus tables for board games, reading and more.

Kids who need a break from screens can head across the hall to the gym to play basketball, ping pong and other activities, Stephenson said.

The teen center will serve up food and drinks at a cafe staffed by employees from NCI Affiliates, a program that provides vocational training for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, she said.

Atascadero’s Teen Center employs workers from NCI.

Namuleme said she envisions the teen center as being a place to connect local youth with volunteer opportunities.

“I know a lot of teenagers ... are engaged in community service,” she said. “Whether that’s voluntarily or required for school hours, it’s something that all teenagers seek.”

Although administrators plan to let participants guide the programming at the Paso Robles Teen Center, Stephenson said, community members have already reached out with offers teach yoga, art, mindfulness and more.

“We really want to let the kids who show up dictate what programs they want,” she said. “So we’re not making too many decisions just yet.”

Youth need a third place to socialize

Sociologists have documented the need for people to have a so-called “third place,” meaning a place that is not work or school, or home, to gather and socialize.

The shuttering of shopping malls, bookstores, rollerskating rinks and similar spaces leaves few options for free or inexpensive in-person gathering among local kids who don’t have access to transportation but want a place to hang out after school, according to a study on the disappearing third place in the United States.

This need is particularly pronounced for teens with families that are low-income or whose parents are still at work after the school bell rings, Namuleme said in her Justin Vineyards & Wine community grant application.

According to sociologists, third places are particularly valuable to marginalized youth, such as youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth or youth experiencing housing instability or poverty.

More about Paso Robles Teen Center

Paso Robles Teen Center is located at the gymnasium at Centennial Park, 600 Nickerson Drive in Paso Robles.

It’s open 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday to students in sixth through 12th grade.

For more information, call 805-237-3988 or go to prcity.com/1177/Teen-Center.

The REC Foundation is accepting donations from the community to help keep the teen center going. Donate by going to recfoundation.com/donate; write “teen center” in the comments to direct your contribution.