Are Recreation Centers a safe place for teen?

By: Morgan Loper

May 24, 2024

Teens in Philadelphia say they struggle to have a positive environment to feel comfortable in. With the summer coming up and young people not being in school, they need a safe place to enjoy themselves, they say which can include different recreation centers in their neighborhoods.

The leaders at Tustin Recreation Center are in the center with Amthony Ganard a district 19 police that comes by everyday making sure that the children are watched over. Anthony Ganard always stops by the playground to insure that the kids a

Different Parks and Recreation Centers in Philadelphia connect the residents to the natural world to see what else there is out there to do. But why? They do this so that they can provide playgrounds, pools, picnic permits, and sports fields to allow people to grow. Tustins Playgrounds Recreation Center leader in West Philadelphia CJ has a lot of teens that come to his rec center every day because he provides different programs for teens like after-school reading clubs, crocheting, a dance program, boxing, and a basketball league.

¨Rec centers are crucial for the community because they promote healthy fitness, hiking, swimming, and keeping an active lifestyle.¨ said CJ

Not only do they provide programs for teens in the community they also provide a safe place. Things like littering, driving on grass, and smoking/vaping are prohibited so that the community can feel healthy and safe for everyone who comes.

¨Yes our community feels safe at Tustin. Everyone is family here. We have Police that patrol and monitor the area, so everyone feels safe.¨ CJ said.

Samir Mouzon, a sophomore at Carver, has been impacted by Tustin's Rec Center by going there to play basketball with his friends while being watched by a police officer.

”The pro is that I see a lot of my friends there, the con is that sometimes there are too many people there but it is safe most of the time,” Samir said.

In the Park at Tustin´s two new staff member, Nadia who is a caretaker and a new Rec Ledaer trainne are helping clean up the park all time to keep the facility clean for the different programs and activities. They have up to 7 staff that help keep that facility clean, but they always say to leave your household trash at home and clean up after yourself.

A parent in the community Cora has a 15-year-old son that always wants to go to the park with his friends. She likes that it is a safe place by providing food, sports, and programs for kids to socialize at but sometimes she is a little apprehensive because the world can be crazy.

A lot of young teens came to the Kobe and Gigi basketball court at night to shoot some hoops with their friends. They have four courts open that allow different groups of teens to play basketball at the same time and at anytime of the day.

”I do allow him to go, anything can happen no matter what part of the city you live in, so I’m always cautious. You have to teach your children to be smart, pay attention, and use common sense.” Said Cora.

With the summer coming up she will allow her son to go to the rec centers after work because she believes it is a good outlet for students and most importantly her son by giving him good exercise, socializing with his peers, and just getting out of the house during the summer.

In the summer there are 150 parks and 170 recreation centers that you can go to instead of staying in the house and not socializing with friends so that you can experience, equality, engagement, experiences, empowerment, and enjoyment.

¨The pros are they offer a safe environment for the community, food for children, they have sports and programs, socialization, and rec centers can be a home away from home for children.¨ Cora said.