Economy forces youth center to close its doors

PHOTO BY meghan erkkinen

After six years of operation, the Paidion Youth Center in Milton is closing its doors due to lack of funds.

Since its inception, the youth center has served more than 5,000 students between the ages of 12 and 19 after school got out. The center operated on a small budget, thanks in large part to the volunteer staff.

Over the years, Paidion has received a lot of support from the community, said Executive Director Abe Mouracade. But in the last couple of years, support has dwindled. On April 13, Mouracade sent a letter out to Paidion supporters and the youth who attend, stating the center would close. The center’s last day of operation was May 1.

“We are living in economically challenging times,” Mouracade wrote in the letter he sent to supporters. “No doubt you have personally experienced the financial pinch in some way. Paidion has felt the pinch, too.”

For many of the youth who regularly attend the center, the news came as a surprise.

“It never crossed our minds that it would close,” said Lee Robertson, 17, who has been coming to Paidion after school for the last five years. “It’s depressing this is closing.”

In the last year, the youth center had between 18 and 30 students after school. Many of the youth have become a close-knit group.

“We’ve got lifelong friends that we met here,” said 16-year-old Damien Moore. “We are like a family down here.”

The students are not the only ones who will miss the relationships they have formed at the center. Volunteer Susan Boyer, who has been with the center since it opened, said she will also miss the students.

“I enjoy getting to know the kids and having relationships with them. I enjoy being part of their lives,” she said. “I’ll miss the kids and the relationships we have together.”

The center was open three days a week to Fife, Milton and Edgewood-area students. The center had a variety of activities for them, including video games, pool, foosball, board games and computers for homework or personal use. Students could also receive tutoring from volunteers at the center. The center was designed to be a safe, secure place where students would want to spend their afternoons. The rules were simple and served only to maintain safety and order. Students were allowed to come and go, to wear what they want, listen to what they want and watch what they want. The center was designed to be a place where students would want to go after school.

“It’s a place that’s theirs to be whoever they are, without parents or teachers,” said Vicky Franklin, a volunteer who also works at Surprise Lake Middle School. “I’m concerned what will happen with some of the kids. Some will have a place to go…but some won’t, and those are the ones I’m concerned about.”

Unlike some other programs, Paidion was free of charge to the students who attended. Mouracade said he hopes other programs will help meet the students’ needs.

Mayor Katrina Asay, a strong supporter of Paidion, said the community should try to seek creative solutions to help these and other students.

“I think it’s something the community should be concerned about,” Asay said. “I’m really disappointed that [Paidion is] a casualty of the economy. They’ve done wonders for the kids – they’ve changed lives.”

The Paidion non-profit organization will continue to operate, with the hopes of some day being able to offer a similar service to students in the community.

“These kids found safe shelter, recreational activities, computer labs and homework help at the center, as well as nurturing support from caring adults outside their families,” Mouracade wrote in his letter. “It is our hope that when the economy improves, we can re-open the center to serve the needs of the at-risk youth in our community.”

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