Just after 3 p.m., the apartment above Fallen Leaf Bookstore begins to fill with the sound of footsteps.
The teens — many of them boys — go straight for the food.
“Before you grab food, make sure you sign in,” Cindy Steele says as they enter the BETA Teen Center. That’s the way the adult volunteers keep track of them, but it can be a challenge getting the kids to remember.
Steele is one of the founders of Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association Inc.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Every Tuesday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., junior high and high school students, from public school and homeschool, do crafts, play video games, eat snacks, play instruments and hang out with friends.
Crafts may include creating buttons, knitting potholders and making jewelry. Programs include guest speakers and musical performances; last fall BETA kids participated in a drum circle and got a visit from a country music artist.
“It appears very chaotic because kids are coming and going, but there’s a real social thing here,” Steele said.
“They know they aren’t going to be bullied. Nobody is going to pick on them. Nobody is going to make fun of some interest they have.”
The rules of BETA are simple and are posted on the wall.
BETA teens always respect themselves, respect each other and respect the building and restroom.
BETA teens never use drugs, drink alcohol or smoke, drink energy drinks at BETA, swear, litter, waste food or drinks, or display affection publicly.
“I think primarily (BETA attracts) the kids who really don’t have a lot going on besides school and home. We want to offer things for them to do that they don’t normally get at school and that they don’t normally get at home. We try to expose them to a lot of different things. That’s what we have done,” she said.
Some of the teens are involved in sports or other extracurricular activities though, she added.
The after-school program and a summer camp on Mondays in June are all free.
The generosity of the community is what helps make that possible.
Last month, a group of donors known as the Fabulous 50 Women’s Circle of Care granted BETA $10,000. It will go toward operating expenses, including the center’s rent $650-per-month rent, snacks and supplies.
Read more about Women’s Circle of Care here.
“It’s important so that everybody feels like they can come and that everybody is on the same level,” Steele said. “That’s always worked out for us and it’s always been a mission of ours.”
Being themselves
The original intent of BETA six years ago was to have an art camp in the summer for teens, Steele said.
“That didn’t materialize, but the people started thinking that maybe what we really need is a place for the kids to go and that we can have some after-school activities,” she said.
Steele said local churches do a great job at providing faith-based youth groups, but there was a need for after-school activities not related to faith.
“The intent was to give a kid a safe place where they can be themselves away from drugs, get them involved in activities and get them involved in the community at some level. That’s how it all started,” she said.
And the kids love it.
“It’s freaking amazing,” BETA teen Billy Webb said.
“I love all of it. I don’t have a favorite part. Everything is amazing. … Whenever I come here I have a heart attack five times over because I have too much energy and happiness already.”
Junior John Callahan lives in northern Brown County, and he said BETA is one of the only places he can hang out and play video games with his friends. “It’s made it so I have something to look forward to,” he said.
For homeschooled freshman Eli Straw-Thrasher, BETA is a place for him to visit with friends after school.
“You can only go here on Tuesdays, which is bad. I wish we could be open a lot more, but other than the library, there’s nowhere else to go,” he said.
Clifford Russell said BETA is where he comes to play games and help guide local teens. Russell attended BETA when he was in school and became a volunteer after his senior year.
“It’s more so to try and be a role model, because if we weren’t here, they would probably be like 30 percent more crazy,” he said.
Two of Pam Boer’s grandsons attend BETA. After seeing how much they liked it, the former preschool teacher decided to volunteer, too.
“I like the way they’re making interconnections with each other and making interconnections with townspeople and making interconnections by growing and doing,” she said.
Teens have the opportunity to earn “points” for participating in group projects, expressing themselves, volunteering in the community and cleaning up the teen center under BETA’s reward program.
For every five points earned, a teen can receive $5 and move up a level. Teens who reach level five are considered the ambassadors of BETA and can continue to accumulate points, Steele said.
In her pitch for the Fab 50 women’s grant, BETA board member Clara Stanley encouraged the group to throw its support behind local teens because they are in their “most critical period.”
“This is what I’m trying to tell parents: Please don’t walk away. The junior high, high school kids are the kids that most need your attention, your involvement,” she said.
BETA background
Teens began gathering at the former Nashville Christian Church’s Fieldhouse during the 2011-12 school year. BETA received a grant from the Brown County Community Foundation to get art materials.
“The intent, at first, was to keep the kids busy, and since so many of us had art connections, that’s where our focus was at the time,” Steele said.
Steele and other volunteers would donate snacks and drinks, putting them in coolers at the Fieldhouse.
In the spring of 2013, BETA moved to its own building behind Miller’s Ice Cream. The move allowed the group to take permanent roots instead of sharing the space with the church.
Before they could move, BETA hosted a “rent party” at which teens performed as a fundraiser.
That event evolved into an annual Youth Music Showcase, which will be March 11 this year. It’s still BETA’s main fundraiser, and includes a silent auction with items from local artists and businesses.
This school year, BETA moved again, this time to the apartment above Fallen Leaf Bookstore. The previous building did not have a bathroom, and when the Antique Alley restrooms were closed, volunteers had to escort teens to the Village Green restrooms. BETA has to have at least two adult volunteers supervising at all times so there were problems with coverage, Steele said.
If BETA could get more adult volunteers, Steele said she would like to see BETA opened on Fridays too in order to give teens a place to go in between school and athletic events.
“That little window right after school, 3 to 6:30, is a very dangerous time because most of them don’t have parents at home,” Steele said. “Their parents are working someplace. … There’s all kinds of temptations out there, trouble to get into, and we provide a place for them to gather.”
Especially in a rural community, having a place like BETA is important to keep kids connected.
“People don’t really talk too much about the depression and the loneliness that some kids feel, the isolation that you feel in a rural community. You’re out there by yourself. A lot of these kids are at home, waiting for their parents to come home,” Steele said.
She said attendance has always been strong.
“The parents may not necessarily know what all the impact is on the kids, but the kids do,” she said.
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What: Youth Music Showcase/BETA Teen Center Benefit Concert
When: Saturday, March 11, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren Street
Cost: $12, children 12 and under admitted free with paid adult ticket
A silent auction has started at 32auctions.com/betateen and will conclude at 9 p.m. March 11 at the Playhouse.
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It takes about $900 a month to keep the doors of the BETA Teen Center open at no charge to teens or their families. BETA provides snacks, games, a safe place to hang out with friends, activities and mentoring for local teens.
Monetary donations can be sent to BETA, P.O. Box 1194, Nashville, IN 47448. BETA is a 501(c)(3) entity.
Adult volunteers are also needed to spend an afternoon with teens at the center and on field trips. Volunteers can also sign up to share a talent with teens. A background check is required and volunteers will be asked to fill out a sheet that describes their interests. Volunteers can contact Cindy Steele at [email protected] or BETA Board President Clara Stanley at [email protected] or 312-310-3617.
Check BETA’s Facebook page for more information on the group.
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