Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center December Newsletter

December 2023 Newsletter

SILVER BAY YMCA TICONDERGA TEEN CENTER

TEEN CENTER STAFF WEAR BLUE FOR COLON CANCER AWARENESS

OUR MISSION To provide local youth with a safe space to connect with their community, to engage in opportunities to grow and have the freedom to be their best selves.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center is a free drop-in program for 6th12th graders located on the main floor of the Armory at 123 Champlain Ave. Read on for our December highlights!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

STANDARD HOURS

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Mondays: 2:30pm-6pm Tuesdays: 2:30pm-9pm Wednesdays: 2:30pm-6pm Thursdays 2:30pm-9pm Fridays: 2:30pm-10pm Saturdays: 7pm-10pm

Reach us at: youthandteenstaff@silverbay.org SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

ORNAMENT MAKING This December teens had several opportunities to craft ornaments. It was super fun to introduce them to new materials and techniques and watch their creativity run wild as they came up with ideas all of their own. Our first ornament crafting session used yarn, glue, and glitter around inflated balloons to create sparkling globes.

Once the glue hardened, teens popped the balloons and were left with a hollow sphere. We also made ornaments from scratch using ribbons and construction paper. The most exciting, however, was using a premade plastic ornament base and decorating with paint and glitter. Check out some of the cool designs our teens came up with!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

HOMEWORK HELP Spring is on its way and it’s time to encourage kids to do what they can to bring up their grades to meet their goals!

Homework support is available at the Teen Center every day after school. We strongly encourage students to ask a staff member for assistance with their academic work at any time, even when there are other activities going on. Our Teen Center team sees homework as a priority and will work to accommodate their needs.

TEEN-MADE MEALS Hungry after sports practice? Missed a meal at home? Make yourself dinner at the Teen Center! As part of our cooking program and in support of our mission to meet the needs of youth, teens have the ability to use the kitchen and provided ingredients to make meals for themselves.

This month we have supplies on hand for pasta dinners, mashed potatoes, homemade pizza, and sandwiches. Teens may ask staff for assistance, but are expected to do their own meal prep and clean up.

QUICK SNACK HACK: ENGLISH MUFFIN MINI PIZZAS

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

SPORTS This month the teens have been loving cooperative games! They’ve self-directed many games of volleyball (both big and small), plenty games of kickball, and some friendly 3v3 basketball matches. The older teens were happy to share their expertise with their younger peers and show them the skills they’ve learned from their participation in local school sports!

We’re so glad to have this space available for our youth and to see them taking advantage of our equipment to be active and social together.

“WHO’S DOWN FOR A GAME OF VOLLEYBALL?”

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

GAMES Teens love playing on the computers and xbox in what we call “the brick room” and are learning to manage their expectations around time limits and cooperation. Staff help monitor who is in line for the xbox and remind teens to get off screens after 30 minutes. Teens have also been taking turns on a VR headset and having fun watching the gameplay of the current player. The “brick room” is also a favorite space for teens to simply hang out.

Couches are often full of kids unwinding after school and relaxing together.

CORNHOLE

STAFF AND TEENS GO HEAD TO HEAD IN CORNHOLE

We brought up cornhole from Silver Bay’s campus for some friendly competition this December. Great fun was had all around. Some of our teens showed pretty impressive skills and walloped the staff team. Way to go teens!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

LATKE MAKING We tried a teen center first as part of our December cooking program and introduced teens to Latke making. None of the teens present for this activity had ever tried or even heard of a latke before but were intrigued by the idea of a potato pancake. Not only did they learn how prepare this tasty treat from scratch, but they also learned a little bit about the story of Hannukah and why foods cooked in oil are traditionally part of the holiday celebration. Our young chefs persevered through the tears caused by grating onions by hand and unanimously agreed that the resulting latkes were delicious. We served them up with a choice of sour cream or apple sauce and loved every bite!

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER In addition to our family style dinner component of the holiday party, the teen center hosted a more casual breakfast for dinner earlier in the month. We had a great turnout for the meal. Teens know that they are welcome to join in for food but must pitch in to help with both meal prep and clean up. This time they made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. The group problem solved when issues arose with the oven and pulled off a great meal!

Thank you to all who participated and we hope you join us again on January 9th for french toast, home fries, and omelets!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

HOLIDAY PARTY + DINNER The Teen Center holiday party was a hit!

The teens determined the menu for their dinner and widely requested ham which they complimented with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. Everyone staying for the holiday party helped and served up a great meal to share.

Our favorite part was our white elephant style gift game. Not all of the youth in our community are in a position to provide extra gifts for activities like this, so part of our budget this month went to teen appropriate presents so that everyone got to unwrap a surprise and go home with something special. Some may think the teens in our program are starting to age out of the holiday magic, but it was such a joy to watch their eyes light up with excitement and experience the joy along with them as they received a new game or toy of their very own.

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

BAKING There were so many tasty treats baked in our kitchen this month.

We love having visits from Silver Bay Chaplain Karen Skalla who frequently introduces the teens to new recipes. A favorite this month was apple cider cookies which kids had requested.

Teens also made cream cheese brownies, cranberry white chocolate chip cookies, and more!

“SAVE SOME OF THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS FOR THE COOKIES!”

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

MORE BAKING One new confection that we tried this month was a chocolate holiday bark to serve at the Teen Center Holiday Party.

The teens did a great job melting chocolate and pairing it with festive ingredients such as peppermint and dried fruit to create a beautiful and delicious desert.

We get so much participation for baking activities and love to see the teens engaged and learning new things. Yummy snacks are a great incentive. We welcome suggestions and special requests from participants. Keep an eye out for more fun baking events in January including a cake decorating competition on the 18th!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

GINGER BREAD HOUSES An annual favorite event at the Teen Center is our gingerbread house making competition!

Over a dozen teens created submissions this year using the graham crackers, icing, and multitude of candy provided in the kitchen.

All of their creations were extremely cute, but a vote by all teen participants selected the winning house and a runner-up. Contest winners received a free snow cone or equivalent prize of their choice.

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETETION

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318

December 2023

UPCOMING We have an exciting opportunity for all teens!

Usually rally participation is limited to established members of Leaders Club, but this January we are opening registration to any Teen Center participants who would like to try it out. The Northeast Leaders Rally system are weekend retreats for Teens that are connected to the YMCA. The event is packed with fun personal and leadership development workshops and opportunities to build friendships with 6th-12th graders from youth programs across the region.

The 2024 Winter Rally will be from 2/2/2024 2/4/2024 at the YMCA at Watson Woods (NY).

Due to the successful fundraising by our Leaders Club and support of Silver Bay YMCA, participation in this event is FREE for all youth registered for the Ticonderoga Teen Center including transportation, housing, and meals. If you would like more information or your teen is interested in coming on this adventure, please contact Teen Center staff ASAP by stopping by the armory or emailing jpalandrani@silverbay.org.

Our pre-registration materials are due 1/8/2024, so this is the last day we can add anyone to our group!

REGISTER TODAY! BECOME PART OF THE TEEN CENTER REGISTER TODAY AT: HTTPS://SILVERCAMP.CAMPB RAINREGISTRATION.COM OR BY SCANNING:

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

SILVERBAY.ORG/YOUTH-TEEN/ 518-503-5318