by Viktorija Gobush
GUEST COLUMNIST
Have you ever wondered what teenagers do for fun in Urbanna, Va.? Well, if you ask me, there is not much for them to do here. Currently, teenagers just go to the park to hang out, watch their siblings play and eat junk food. If that sounds boring, you are correct.
If I were the mayor of Urbanna, I would create a multipurpose teen center. It’s important to keep teenagers busy and active in our community. Building a teen center would do both of those things.
This multipurpose teen center should be a large enough space for games and activities such as board games, pool tables, air hockey, computers, sports equipment, etc. Also, it should have cozy furniture, big TVs, music and cool decor, such as posters and LED lights. Local teens should have a place to hang out and have safe fun.
While this center is primarily for teens, it could be used for other events in the community, such as local meetings, exercise classes and parties.
You may be wondering who will pay for this. After speaking with locals about this issue, I came up with some fundraising ideas. Local teens could start a GoFundMe page on social media. We could also reach out to local businesses and corporations to ask for donations such as money, time, furniture, or skills. Also, we could organize fundraisers such as bake sales, car washes and dog walking.
Where would this multipurpose teen center be located? Well, Urbanna seems to have a handful of empty buildings. One of these buildings could be converted into a teen center.
The building could be purchased or rented with fundraising money and/or donations. Locals could also volunteer their skills, time, furniture, and games.
Our town needs more space and activities for teens. Local teens do not want to hang out at Taber Park all the time. A teen center would give them freedom and space to do fun things together.
Fundraising could be challenging, but not impossible with good planning and help from the community. Local teens could work at the teen center to keep it running, organized, and clean. A multipurpose teen center would be a positive thing for all Urbanna.
(Viktorija Gobush of Urbanna, a student at St. Clare Walker Middle School in Locust Hill, is this year’s Region 8 winner of the Virginia Municipal League’s [VML] “If I Were Mayor” essay contest — the preceding is her winning entry. She was presented her award at the Urbanna Town Council’s work session on Thursday, May 11. She was given a certificate and gift cards, presented by Joe Flores, VML’s director of fiscal policy.)
