Brookline Teen Center
by Matthias Muendel
Junior Tate Mitchell and senior Michael Moon interned at the Brookline Teen Center this summer. Photos by Ethan Roubenoff.
The driving force behind the recently-constructed, modernly furnished Brookline Teen Center? A collection of ambitious high school interns in pursuit of a multi-faceted work experience.
According to BTC president Paul Epstein, a social worker at the high school, students have been assuming internships roles in conjunction with the teen center for the past eight summers.
He said the responsibilities delegated to the student interns have changed over time.
“The early summers, they were just doing brainstorming and conceptualizing the youth center,” said Epstein. “As time went on, it became less theoretical and more real. We started raising some money and working with architects to design and scour for the appropriate site. With the site under construction [this summer], they were really putting on the finishing touches.”
Epstein recalled one summer when the student interns toured the state, visiting various community centers and Boys & Girls Clubs.
These encounters, according to Epstein, gave the interns an idea of what they were looking for in a teen center. Fundraising was also paramount in past years; the students directed an event in 2007 at Game On!, the sports bar and restaurant located near Fenway Park.
Prospective interns were put through a comprehensive application process this summer, involving short essays and sometimes multiple interviews. Once accepted, the interns were given numerous areas to display their skills in the BTC, with job departments ranging from event planning to social media, according to Epstein.
BTC Executive Director Matthew Cooney said he was overwhelmed by the level of interest in student internships.
“As we were heading towards the summer, we geared up to open a broader teen internship program that offered a stipend,” said Cooney. “My original plan was that we would hire 15 to 20 interns. We ended up having well over 100 applications. It ended up being pretty competitive and we expanded the program to 70 total interns over the summer, grouped into different departments.”
Senior Michael Moon worked in the technology department of the teen center this summer, preparing computers and other electronic equipment for members. Moon, who interned for seven weeks, said the work was never exhausting.
“It was a job, but a job where you were really having fun,” said Moon.
While interning at the Teen Center, Moon said he improved his leadership skills, bringing together a group of kids to complete a task every day.
Junior Tate Mitchell, another intern, painted murals throughout the teen center this summer and helped with the admission process of new interns.
Mitchell, with 30 other students interns, also tested out the BTC, trying out various new accommodations.
“We were calling it teen-proofing,” Mitchell said.
The opportunity offered to interns like Moon and Mitchell by the teen center is largely unparalleled, Epstein said.
“The internships, to me, are the best internships kids could ever hope to have,” said Epstein. “First of all, it’s paid, which is awesome. There are a lot of internships where you work really hard but don’t receive any money. Second of all, the amount they got out of this– learning to work as a team, learning to work as a group towards a bigger goal– is something for the community that’s lasting, a legacy in the town. A lot of college essays have been written about this internship already. In some cases, this has been one of the premier experiences kids have had up to this point in their lives.”
Though the work of the student interns is complete, Cooney still plans to feature students in a prominent role in the BTC.
“We are going to set up a teen advisory board that will help with the governing and programming and shortly, I am going to be looking for applicants for those positions,” said Cooney. “The teen advisory board will need to be the feedback loop of telling us what’s working, what’s not working and helping us to generate ideas and forming committees. There should be a voice for the teens. This should be a place where teens feel they can take ownership.”
Junior Noah Mark, who worked with the café group, to configure the snack offerings, said the features of the BTC exceeded his expectations.
“I did not realize how awesome or big it was going to be,” he said. “Bowling alley, recording studio, all sorts of really cool stuff.”
According to Epstein, the BTC internships have provided students with some of the skills needed to pursue a career in two specific fields youth work and non-profit management. This, he said, made working at the teen center especially valuable.
Epstein credited the student interns for their distinguished efforts, something he believes was responsible for the estimated 1,300 community members who came to view the teen center on Sept. 15, opening day.
“I think the turnout was a testament to the interns’ work for preparing for this event and all this stuff I don’t have a grasp of: the word of mouth and the social media,” Epstein said. “That’s what got the people to the door.”
