The Loudoun Youth Initiative (LYI) Advisory Commission on Youth (ACOY) listened to a presentation by the new Purcellville Teen Center Manager on Monday, 28 November, and unanimously recommended that $20,000/year be budgeted for the Purcellville Teen Center operations. The recommendation will now be forwarded to the Human Services Committee of the Board of Supervisors for their consideration, and a decision is hoped for in January.

At the presentation, Philip Message, Teen Center Manager expressed his personal interest in the Countywide Teen Centered Network being formulated, and he told Tim Chesnutt, director of LYI, that "while we wish to retain our independence, we look forward to working closely with the County on this initiative."

In his first public comments since taking over the Teen Center four months ago, Philip opened the presentation by acknowledging his thanks to Janet Clarke and the other members of COPE who founded the Center earlier this year, noting that several of them are still actively involved in its operations today.

Highlights of the presentation then included an overview of the activities provided at the Teen Center and a discussion of the statistics collected by the Center – ACOY committee members were surprised to hear that slightly more than half of the youth that attend each week live outside of Purcellville, further strengthening the argument for County-level funding.

Philip went on to say that "while an average attendance of 240 youth per week is impressive (with peaks in excess of 300 youth), our goal is to increase that number by 50% within the next six months. To do that, we plan to organize High School dances, equip the Center with high-tech TVs/gaming systems, and purchase additional furniture. Attainment of these goals will require substantial community involvement, and a Teen Center Management Committee is now being formed to ensure that Center operates indefinitely, independently of the contributions of any single individual".

This theme was echoed in the request for funding: "Our long-term success cannot be dependent upon any single sponsor, and for this reason we're asking for relatively small amounts from multiple sources". The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote of approval by the ACOY Committee Members, and a call for volunteers to help out at the Purcellville Teen Center and to help serve on the Management Committee (visit www.the-teen-center.com for details on each)