Urbana Park District making a difference through teen hangouts

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Urbana Police Department said overall crime has increased in the city. The good news is someone is stepping up to change that.

The Urbana Park District is hosting “Teen Hangout Nights” at the Phillips Recreation Center. Officials hope they can pull kids off of the streets and into a fun time.

The park district hosts this event one Friday a month. Organizers say they came up with this in response to some of the violence they saw in the surrounding schools. It’s been a hit so far and they are doing everything they can to try and grow it.

“It’s a free event. They don’t have to pre-register. We try to take down any barriers that that may be,” said Community Outreach & Wellness Coordinator Katie Bickers. “And it’s been really nice to have the support of the Urbana school district to let us pass on the information. They’ll send out reminders on the Fridays that we have them because, you know, teens sometimes forget.”

The next opportunity to hangout will be September 27th. If you miss that one there will be four total over the course of the year.

Activities include play stations, basketball, and ring lights to post social media content.

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