Alaska Sprouts to kick off teen night this September

"Alaska Sprouts – Seeds of Change" is a new group in the city of Wrangell, recently funded through grant money received by the Wrangell Cooperative Association. Their goal, according to the organization's Facebook page, is to help make a brighter future for the city's youth. One of the ways this all-volunteer group hopes to do so is by hosting "teen nights."

Jillian Privett is the main organizer of Alaska Sprouts. She said the teen night is aimed for eighth through twelfth-graders, and is meant to be both educational and fun. She also said that it is something the community needed.

"Wrangell's needed it for a while," she said. "They haven't had a boys' and girls' club, teen center kind of thing for quite some time, I believe. We had one when I was in high school."

There will be many things for teens to learn during teen night, Privett said, depending on who is volunteering. She said she wants teens to learn skills that will be useful for them in adulthood. Teens can look forward to learning about creative writing, learning to make jams and jellies, canning and preserving food, and many other hobbies. Privett said they can also get CPR and babysitting certifications.

Teen night will also have numerous "just for fun" activities such as dodgeball, rock painting, and numerous other games. Privett said that in the future she would love to see other fun activities such as "glow in the dark nights" happen, too.

Parents should register their kids for teen night online at http://www.wrangellrec.com starting on Sept. 8. Privett said that the teens can also participate in a quick survey there. Anybody wishing to volunteer to help with teen night must volunteer through the parks and recreation department.

"We're using their facilities, so we're going to use their paperwork, too," Privett said.

The first teen night will be held on September 22 at the Wrangell Community Center. To learn more about teen night and Alaska Sprouts, visit their Facebook Page at "Alaska Sprouts." Privett said that anybody is welcome to volunteer and share their knowledge or skills.

"Pretty much anything that people can think of that they do in the community that they would want to share with teens," she said.