Welcome to the Teen Center

The Highland Park Community Teen Center is a School Based Youth Services Program that has been an integral part of the Highland Park community since its inception in 2001.  There have been many people past and present who have contributed to the success of the program and make the program a model for all School Based Youth Services Programs in New Jersey.

The School Based Youth Services Program is funded by the New Jersey Division of Family and Community Partnerships and provides “one-stop shopping” for teens in a school-based setting. Services that facilitate healthy development, the acquiring of essential skills, and the availability of enhanced educational and employment opportunities are easily accessed in this setting.

Over the years, the Highland Park Community Teen Center has provided valuable services to many students and families to promote their well-being and improve relationships.  Through our collaboration with the Guidance Department, the Child Study Team, school administrators, individual teachers, parents, and other community-based programs, we provide effective interventions for many students to successfully graduate from high school and go on to college or work. 

Our current goal is to adopt a holistic model for service provision by enhancing the connection between student, school, and home through activities that engage the community.  There is an African proverb that states “it takes a village to raise a child”.  In modern society, the “village” represents all the people and programs that work together to promote each student’s well being through services that support educational, social, emotional, physical, and emotional health and stability. It is a society where adults provide a safe and comfortable environment for children to feel supported, feel accepted, and affirmed, and to express themselves without being judged or ridiculed.  The Teen Center offers such a place and we are inviting you to be part of this wonderful and rewarding journey to enhance the life of a child.  The “village” is each and every one of us and our contribution counts!

Feel free to contact us with your questions and suggestions anytime!  We encourage you to take a new look at the Teen Center.

Elizabeth Asamoah, LMSW

Director of Highland Park Community Teen Center