Various service providers will also occupy the space to provide on-site resources to the teens who visit The Warehouse. With the motto “For Teens, By Teens”, programs and activities will be designed by the very young adults who will be using this facility. Set to open in September 2019, programming is being tested and piloted off site at the Community Education Building with local teenagers. The Warehouse will be the first of its kind in Delaware and will mirror national models from cities such as New York.

Wilmington teens involved in the vision, design, and implementation of programming are carefully selected through an interview process. In March 2019, I had the privilege of volunteering with The Warehouse youth by providing a workshop on project planning and budgeting. The content focused on developing a program proposal and budget which will prepare them for a real-life opportunity to apply for a grant to support one of their pilot programs.

These youth have a visible and infectious passion and commitment to fulfilling the vision of The Warehouse. They are motivated by the prospects that this facility will provide increased and improved access to resources for their peers, and most importantly, a safe space for their age group.

This is the type of transformative project that makes for a healthy community.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” — Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa