Los Gatos Teen Center Charts New Directions

, the lunch and after-school clubhouse for teens, is making bold plans to become self-sustaining and to serve more teens.

Instead of relying solely on grants and donations, the board of A(APFT), which operates the teen center at 4 New York Ave., behind , plans to let the teens organize and operate money-making ventures.

Mike Loya is A Place For Teens' new executive director. He has led the teen center for the past six years as Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation's youth and teen recreation supervisor, but the partnership with the nonprofit community education and recreation agency changed earlier this year.

“There’s no one better than Mike Loya to take A Place for Teens where it needs to go,” says Teen Board President Michelle Stevens. Teen co-president Rachel Hellmer leads board meetings.

“Mike has both the creativity and most importantly the ability to connect and build trusted relationships with teens. There is nothing more important in building a successful community program for teens than a leader who listens, understands and respects each teen as a unique and valued individual,” says LGS Recreation Executive Director Steve Rauwolf. “Mike has consistently demonstrated this value and skill.”

The APFT board wants to make operations more entrepreneurial and thus more self-sustaining. The organization plans to raise money selling snacks and is considering the purchase of a health-department-ready mobile kitchen so that teens can serve lunch and snacks at The Venue during the school year, at the Vasona boat launch during the summer, and at special events.

Other entrepreneurial ideas include silk-screening t-shirts on site, wrist bands, and forming a teen collaborative with service clubs, youth sports organizations, churches, schools, and other groups in the community. More concerts, a bowling night, ski trips, and after-school and summer jobs are on the table.

“You’ll hear more in the next few months,” Loya told the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club.

“I am pleased to support A Place for Teens,” says Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman. “We are working together to address teen stress, healthy lifestyles and the reduction of high-risk behavior among teens in our community.”

The APFT leadership wants to better integrate with the community as a whole. Many of the key values in the Project Cornerstone list of developmental assets focus on interaction between teens and non-family adults, and on teens making a difference in their town. The coming year will see more outreach, with teens from The Venue participating in events in Monte Sereno and out in neighborhoods like Blossom Manor, the Almond Grove, and Belgatos.

“It takes a town to raise a teen,” Loya explains.

The Venue is open at lunch and from 2 to 5 p.m. every afternoon that school is in session, with special events on Friday and Saturday nights. Loya plans to add hours after school and in the morning for the next school year. Typical of the group’s ambitious plans is a fee-based shuttle bus service for teens in the mountain communities. The morning shuttle would drop teens at The Venue where they can have breakfast and early and late-afternoon buses would accommodate teens involved with sports.

A Place For Teens was founded 20 years ago by parents and others who felt that teens needed a community in which they were valued and safe. The board is 50-50 adults and teens. The adult board president is my wife, Peggy Dallas. For more information, visit the web site.