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Innovative teen center founded in Naperville expanding to Hanover Park

Posted April 20, 2022 5:20 am

Eric Peterson

Avari Davant, an attendee at the Alive Center for Teens in Naperville, displays his collage on "what makes him come alive." A Hanover Park location of the after-school youth program will open Thursday. Courtesy of Alive Center for Teens

Hanover Park is eagerly anticipating Thursday's opening of a new teen center that's based on a 7-year-old youth program founded in Naperville and expanded to Aurora.

The Alive Center for Teens will be a place students in grades 6 through 12 can drop by after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This third location of the Alive Center came about as a result of outreach from DuPage Habitat for Humanity, support from the village of Hanover Park, and a donation by the Greenwood Tanglewood Homeowners Association of space in its community center, 1211 Catalina Drive.

Beth Stremel, community engagement and development representative of the Alive Center, said its mission can be characterized as "Teen-Led, Teen-Driven." Older students help guide younger ones under adult supervision to engage in activities such as art, games, life skills, movies, STEM projects and more.

The name derives from the program's goal to help teens explore their interests and find that which makes them "come alive."

The unstructured environment in which teens can drop by as often as they choose serves as a contrast to the structured environment of school, Stremel added.

"The focus of the Alive Center is to empower the leaders of tomorrow," she said. "We feel that the kids will literally be walking past our center. So much of this is meeting the kids where they are."

Mayor Rod Craig said he sees Habitat for Humanity as a group that brings restoration to community.

"The pandemic really separated everyone," Craig said. "I like to bring people together. I'm excited about the Alive Center and where it's going. I'm going to do all I can to help them."

The Alive Center is intended to serve all of Hanover Park, but it has a significant population right at its doorstep in the Greenbrook Tanglewood community of 505 townhouses in 76 buildings.

"I'm excited to have the Alive Center in the heart of our neighborhood," Greenwood Tanglewood resident and board member Aldair Perez said in a written statement.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting will be held at the center at noon Thursday. Normal hours of operation will be 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Alive Center, which is funded by donations, provides its services for free. A GoFundMe campaign at bit.ly/SupportAliveHP is aiming to raise $15,000 for the startup costs of the new location.

Volunteers to work with the teens also are being sought and can apply at bit.ly/VolunteerAlive.

The facility will have a per-day capacity of about 35 to 40 teens, which is about the typical turnout at the Naperville site, Stremel said

Zayna Quraishi, a senior at Naperville North High School, leads the Journalism Club she created at the Alive Center for Teens in Naperville. A Hanover Park Alive Center will open on Thursday. Courtesy of Alive Center for Teens

Aniesa Acevedo, a freshman at West Aurora High School, leads her SFX Makeup Club at the Alive Center for Teens in Aurora by doing makeup for Calista Sarabian, an intern from Aurora University. A third location of the Naperville-born teen center will open Thursday in Hanover Park. Courtesy of Alive Center for Teens

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