By James Menaker | Executive Director
The winters of Alaska, even as mild as this one has been, are cold and dark and long. I have three kids of my own and I know very well how antsy they get when they are cooped up in the house for too long. Joel's Place Youth Center has been a great release valve for teens over the past decade. They can get out of the house to eat or Skate/BMX/Scooter or attend a concert or just hang out and run around with their friends in a warm and safe location. However it is all inside and I firmly believe that kids, especially Alaskan kids, miss out on something important if they are not outside during our winters.
The past couple of years we have done a fair amount of work on the outside of our facility. We reinsulated the building, paved the parking lot, put up fencing around our property, set up a community garden, fire pit, sand volleyball court and basketball court. However none of those elements addressed the "Go spend quality time outdoors in the winter," concern. This coming Saturday Joel's Place is excited to announce the opening of our Outdoor Snow Park. We have ramps and rails and lots and lots of snow. This area is designed by skaters to facilitate snowboarding, snowskating and sledding for young people of all ages. We are really eager to see the kids play.
Have you heard of snowboarding and sledding but not snowskating? Welcome to the cutting edge of youth popular culture! A snowskate is like a marriage of a snowboard and a skateboard. The deck is smaller than a snowboard and the feet are not strapped in but the bottom of the deck is smooth with no wheels. The snowskate allows for greater control and a greater variety of tricks than the snowboard, especially tricks that require flipping the board during jumps. So now you know.
Saturday the 13th of December will be our launch party, sponsored by Gripall. From 4-8pm we will have music, food, prizes, and lots of outdoor fun. If you are around, feel free to swing by. If not, thank you for your support and encouragement as we continue to find new ways to invest in the lives of Interior Alaska's youth.
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