Chicopee opens new teen center for skills and support

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Chicopee community has welcomed a new teen center for the city's youth.

The "Haven Center" is now open at the Boys and Girls Club of Chicopee and offers a safe place for the teens to visit, lounge, relax, and build skills.

The new facility will also utilize resources that will help prepare them for their futures.

Executive Director Jason Reed tells 22News, "Once we get them into the building we're going to help them focus on programming that's going to help them evolve as they get into the next chapter of their lives. We're going to focus on Workforce Readiness, nutrition, and well-being, of other things our young people need as they prepare to enter either the workforce or go off to college."

The $3 million building on Meadow Street is expected to serve about 75 teenagers all at one time. In addition to the workforce-preparedness resources, the club includes a basketball court, a digital media lab, and a zen room.

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