Kameron Dilaura and Marino Frias welcome students to the West Side Teens after-school program held at West Side Community Services. The program returned on Sept. 24 and was created to provide a safe space for teens and help prepare them for life after high school. Frias, director of the youth department, said that the program offers other activities apart from fitness, arts and programming. It offers life skill readiness, resume building, a study hall for the teens to work on anything outside of the program, SAT prep, and many more fun activities to help keep them engaged. Dilaura, teen council president of the program, is 16 years old and said that within a year of being there he’s gained many connections through different organizations and colleges. “There’s a lot of opportunities for any age, you can come here for one year, two years, no matter how long you’re going to get a lot of opportunities later on,” Dilaura said. West Side Teens is available to students in 7th grade to 19-year-olds. They meet at 161 Vermont St. at 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays. By Shanice Forbes
