Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center January Newsletter

January 2024 Newsletter

SILVER BAY YMCA TICONDERGA TEEN CENTER

OUR MISSION

NEW OPEN HOURS!!!

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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.

Mondays: 3pm-9pm

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Thursdays 3pm-9pm

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 January highlights!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

Tuesdays: 3pm-9pm Wednesdays: 3pm-9pm

Fridays: 3pm-10pm Saturdays: CLOSED Sundays: CLOSED

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

January 2024

ADJUSTED SCHEDULE Please note that the Teen Center standard open hours are shifting beginning February first! These changes reflect teen attendance patterns and are an effort to maximize our positive impact for our participants with the staffing and resources we have. Please see the first page for the weekly schedule. Planned deviations from these open hours will be published in our monthly calendar. Please follow us on social media to be alerted of any last minute closures due to circumstances such as inclement weather and dangerous road conditions.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS! Thank you to all our donors! We would like to express our gratitude to My Hope Flower Farm, Snug Harbor Marina, Trombley Greenhouse, Meraki, Debbie Barber, Ti Automotive, Montcalm Liquors, Bain’s Sunoco, Maplefields, Century 21 Adirondacks, Nick’s Precision Dry Ice Blasting, and Taylor Rental for supporting our 2024 Lock-In. Because of your generosity we were able to make this experience open to ALL of our participants regardless of their financial situation. Your donations helped pay for hockey tickets, transportation, food and beverages, and festive decorations. This allowed us to create a memorable experience while keeping costs low and to waive all fees for all teens requesting financial assistance. 43 Teens chose to ring in the New Year at the Teen Center, we hope you enjoy some of the photos chronicling the event.

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

2024 NEW YEARS LOCK IN The 2024 New Years Lock In was an action-packed night. Those who participated in the first session took a bus down to Glens Falls to watch an Adirondack Thunder Hockey Game! The home team was victorious, and everyone had a great time cheering them on.

When the bus arrived back at the Armory teens took advantage of our New Years photobooth and had a choice of games. The gym offered Gaga Ball, Nine Square in the Air, and Human Bowling. Teens also had the option of Live Mafia, a multi room murder mystery game reminiscent of the popular computer game “Among Us”. @YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024 Our two session model this year meant that some teens headed home around 10:30 and others arrived to stay the rest of the night at the Armory. We kicked off the second session by introducing a raffle for which teens could earn tickets by participating and competing in different activities.

RAFFLE PRIZES INCLUDED A BURRITO BLANKET, SNACK PACK, AND WIRELESS SPEAKER Pizza and sparkling grape juice were served around midnight as we watched the ball drop. Other activities included tie dye, karaoke, a dance party, jeopardy, and minute to win it style games. The major highlight was an inflatable obstacle course courtesy of Taylor Rental in Plattsburgh. It turns out that a bouncy house is both great for getting out some energy and taking a comfy nap afterward!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

NEW YEARS 2024 LOCK IN

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

WINTER DANCE After being postponed in December due to a scheduled power outage, the Teen Center held our annual Winter Dance this January! The center was decorated as a winter wonderland and teens enjoyed some tasty, themed snacks, a photobooth, and dancing in the gym.

Thank you to all who came out to celebrate! We hope you had a great time and we’ll see you at the Valentine’s Dance on February 9th!

PINATAS ARE ALWAYS A BIG “HIT”!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

IS HEADBANGING BACK?

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

January 2024

CAKE DECORATING COMPETITION This month many teens participated in our cake decorating competition! All participants got an 8 by 5 inch piece of sheet cake to work with and could slice, stack, and ice it according to any theme of their choosing. Once complete, staff voted for their favorites. We saw some pretty creative cakes! Finial cake designs included several silly faces, a “Happy Birthday”, a Minion, and The Lorax! Well done, teens, we hope you had fun!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

TEEN CENTER DINNER Silver Bay’s own Chef Anthony Basile joined us once again for our January Teen Center Dinner and taught the kids how to make french toast and omelets. We are so appreciative of Chef Tony’s involvement with our cooking program. In addition to feeding the YMCA staff and guests on campus and the Mountain View Grille pop up restaurant, he regularly makes time to teach the next generation and share a passion for connecting communities through food. Talk about going the extra mile!

We had great participation in the dinner this month and are now fielding menu requests for the next one. Thanks to all who joined us!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

COOKING WITH KAREN We also want to give a huge shout out to Silver Bay Chaplain, Karen Skalla, who has been taking requests from the teens for recipes to teach them each week. The teens love having the fun activity and getting to eat delicious food, but even more important are the social connections they are making. It is clear how much the teens appreciate the opportunity to talk about their day or get stressful issues off their chest. Thank you, Karen, for the care you show our teens and for exemplifying the positive presence our organization strives to be for our community!

SPORTS January saw lots of basketball in the Armory gym. Teens love to challenge certain staff members to pick up games when they are available and the less athletically inclined team members love to cheer them on. In an effort to appeal to older teens who appreciate time independent from the middle schoolers, we had some high school only gym hours this month.

There was also a fair bit of soccer and volleyball as well as a few rousing games of broom ball. The Teen Center is always happy to facilitate sports activities that meet the interests of local teens, so feel free to share suggestions or make requests!

@YMCATEENCENTERTI @SILVERBAY_YMCA_TITEENCENTER

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

January 2024

UPCOMING Please note our adjusted open hours for the month of February and beyond!

You don’t want to miss our Valentine’s Dance!

Mark your calendars for Friday, February 9th!

The time is now to ask that special someone, or don’t! Dates are not expected or required, but we’d love to see you there. As always, you are welcome to wear whatever feels right for you, though we encourage dressing up in the spirit of celebrating. The dance will start at 7pm, let a staff member know if you would like to be part of the decoration team.

On February 29th the Teen Center will be hosting its very first Open Mic Night! If you play an instrument, write poetry, or even if you just like to sing in the shower and want to see what it’s like to perform with a few friends, we’d love to hear it! All talents and skill levels welcome, we hope to see you there.

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