The Chester Teen Center
WEDNESDAYS + FRIDAYS
3:00pm - 5:30pm
469 Main Street in Chester, VT
(on the corner of Church and Main Street)
All teens who intend to participate must fill out the program registration form below with their parent or guardian!
Registration for the program is free and exclusive to local teens in grades 6 through 12. Come as you are, or show up with friends. Play some pool, use the basketball court, take a nap in the bean bag, do homework or just pop in for a slice of pizza. Participation in planned activities or events is voluntary.
Our vision is a safe space created for local teens, by local teens.
The Chester Teen Center serves our youth by creating a safe space in the community for local teens to connect with each other, have fun and be creative, develop leadership skills, and have access to support and mentorship. With the help from our local partnerships, BRACC staff, volunteers, students, parents, and school leaders--- we look forward to the evolution of this program as a sustainable, equitable, and essential asset for youth and families in our community.
Registered teens are invited to drop by anytime during regular drop-in hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3pm - 5:30pm.
Events and activities planned during or outside of regular drop-in hours can be found on the schedule below.
UPCOMING EVENTS + ACTIVITIES
Wednesday, Jan. 22nd:
TEEN CENTER CLOSED
Friday, Jan. 15th:
REGULAR DROP-IN HOURS:
3:00 - 5:30pm at the teen center
Wednesday, Jan. 29th:
REGULAR DROP-IN HOURS:
3:00 - 5:30pm at the teen center
Accessory Building Clean-out Day!
We're trying to raise $10,000 by this winter to renovate a building on Main Street and give our teen program a permanent home.
We currently use the old Congo church building for teen space activities and we share the use of that space with others in the community. We now have the opportunity to make the smaller building next to it OUR OWN permanent activity space... it just needs some fixing up! With your support, we hope to raise enough funds to have the project complete by spring of 2025....
Thank you to our supporters!
Our Story...
In 2023, BRACC began exploring ideas and solutions in response to our community assessment results around the challenges faced by our local youth today. After looking at all the data together, including the 2021 YRBS, the discussions at the VT Youth Opportunity forums, and qualitative feedback from the Chester community– we found there was a collective consensus on the need for a “third space” for teen-aged youth in this area.
From a prevention lens, we see a place like this as an opportunity to address root cause of substance use and reduce risk factors in teens who feel isolated, or like they don’t matter to the community, and who could benefit from having a safe space to socialize, be creative, start clubs, or just decompress outside of home and school.
In March of 2024, BRACC rounded up a focus group of student ambassadors from GMUHS to meet regularly, share their ideas and explore the potential, the challenges, and the feasibility of creating a third space for teens in town.
In April 2024, the Green Mountain Church (also known as the "Congo" Church) located in downtown Chester generously opened their doors to BRACC and the youth group for use of their community space. Since then, we've facilitated youth gatherings here every week-- we now serve over 60 local youth.
Questions? Contact Lauren Ingersoll at lauren@braccvt.org.