The Bridge Teen Center Offers 100+ Free Afterschool Programs

ORLAND PARK, IL – The Bridge Teen Center has released their Winter/Spring program lineup for the coming semester for teens in 7th through 12th grade. All 100+ afterschool programs are FREE OF CHARGE and are holistically designed around the interest and needs of suburban teens.

This semester’s programs include creating authentic Mexican burritos, electronic programming, creative painting, how to lay flooring and much more. Many local Orland Park businesses and organizations volunteer their time to lead programs. This semester will include community program volunteers from Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Art a la Carte, CNC Machines & Metalworking and more. Programs will be held after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 2:00pm and 6:00pm at their center located at 15555 S. 71st Court in Orland Park, Illinois. Advance sign up is required. Online sign up begins on Monday, December 10 at 2:00pm at thebridgeteencenter.org.

In addition to afterschool programs, The Bridge Teen Center hosts weekly Friday Night Live events from 7:30pm to 10:30pm. Every Friday night has a fun theme. In the spring, The Bridge Teen Center will host their annual “Battle of the Bands” competition. Local student bands will compete against each other to be crowned the winner. The winning student band will be invited back to headline a future Friday Night Live event. Other Friday Nights include karaoke, open mic nights and live music from bands and musicians both near and far. There is always Friday night entertainment at The Bridge. Plus, delicious free food is always provided to teens from local restaurants. Advance sign up is not required on Friday Nights but students do need to have a membership application on file.

"The Bridge is the perfect place to beat the cold, engage in a free afterschool program, connect with 150+ other teens on a Friday night and be empowered to try new things,” said Priscilla Steinmetz, Founder of The Bridge Teen Center. “We are ready to kick off a new year and a new semester by offering our students an incredible lineup of unique holistically designed programs.”

Afterschool programs and Friday Nights are free to teens 7th through 12th grade. To become a member one must complete a Student Membership Application online at thebridgeteencenter.org. Once completed and approved, students will be able to sign up online for afterschool programs. See a complete listing of after school programs and Friday Night Live events on their website.

The Bridge Teen Center is a nationally-recognized nonprofit community center that was designed around the needs and interests of teens in the suburbs. The Bridge provides free holistically-designed afterschool programming and a safe environment for Friday night entertainment. Monthly programs that help parents navigate through the teenage years are also offered. To date, over 7,000 unique students from 128 different communities have been served by The Bridge. The Bridge is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded by individuals, businesses, and foundations in the community. For more information about The Bridge Teen Center, visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org or call 708.532.0500.

Photo Caption: Jose Salazar (left) from Chuy’s Tex-Mex Restaurant shows Dylan Good (center), and Adrian Hernandez (right), how to prepare the perfect enchilada during a free culinary program on September 11, 2018.