The Southampton Flanders Youth Center will be hosting an open house tomorrow to show off their latest electronic gadgets and equipment and they encourage the community to participate.
“The Flanders Youth Drop Spot is underutilized and underpromoted,” said former Flanders Riverside Northampton Community Association president Ron Fisher. “They have an incredible staff and programs and we just need to let the community know about them.”
Students in grades 5 to 12 and their families are invited to check out and make use of brand new computers, an Xbox One S, updated video game collection, and Apple Ipads. Lynott said that the total cost ranged between $1,000 and $2,000 for the new equipment.
“We have new computers, video games, consoles that we are excited to share with the community,” Southampton Youth Bureau Director Nancy Lynott said.
Young aspiring songwriters are also encouraged to attend and take a look at the Southampton Youth Bureau’s newest music production studio. Studio equipment includes an Apple MacBook Pro, Pro Tools, studio microphones, and an M-AUDIO Oxygen MIDI keyboard controller.
“We received formal and informal requests from kids that want to record themselves and we thought it was important,” Lynott said. “We encourage all kids and adults in the community to explore their creativity.”
Refreshments, crafts, and games will be available for those in attendance.
The open house, which is free, will start at 4 p.m. until 7 p.m, but the center is open until 9 p.m.
According to the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP), which is composed of representatives from 20 federal agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth, “effective afterschool programs bring a wide range of benefits to youth, families and communities. Afterschool programs can boost academic performance, reduce risky behaviors, promote physical health, and provide a safe, structured environment for the children of working parents.”
Something that long-time Flanders resident Francisca Martinez agrees with. A mother of three, Martinez regularly takes her children to the Flanders Youth Center for after-school programs and summer programs.
“I’m really glad that this center exists in our community,” she said. “My kids have been able to play, participate in programs that otherwise would not have been available to them and meet other kids there. The instructors there are also very good because they help with homework,” she said.
Lynott said that the center has a full schedule of activities and programming, like the upcoming Amerikids program on Feb. 5th, an opportunity for young children in grades K-4 to “make new friends, learn social skills and bullying prevention,” among others. And of course, “we have plenty of board games,” she said.
The Southampton Flanders Youth Center is located at 655 Flanders Rd in Flanders.
For more information, please call (631) 702-2425 or visit www.southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
