Teen Canteen listens to Straight Talk

OGDENSBURG — The Teen Canteen in Ogdensburg was the place to be on Friday evening, Dec. 19, 2014, for the borough's seventh- and eighth-graders as Annmarie Shafer, the Regional Coalition Coordinator of The Center in Newton, presented “Straight Talk.”

This program educates youth about the risks associated with using alcohol and other drugs.

The event was funded by the Ogdensburg Municipal Alliance, a volunteer driven organization with support from state and county money to provide drug prevention for local municipalities.

The center offers a variety of current prevention initiatives to many of the local alliances in Sussex County to fulfill their action plans.

The Teen Canteen was a brainchild of Jeanette Spooner’s, a Health and Physical Education teacher at The Ogdensburg Elementary School. The small building boasts a pool table, ping pong table, foosball, several TVs, video games and comfy chairs and couches where kids can hang out. Frank Diberardino, entertainment DJ, provided music for the kids after The Center’s presentation.

Many of the Teen Canteen’s items have been donated by the community. Spooner was the Teen Canteen chaperone on Friday night and said when she was growing up in Bergen County, she had great memories of a similar place where kids could safely hang out.

Some of the comments by the kids after the Teen Canteen “Straight Talk” presentation included, “you made me smarter,” “drinking alcohol can affect how your brain works!”

For more information about the Teen Canteen or The Ogdensburg Municipal Alliance, contact Jeanette Spooner or Monica Goscicki at oburg-cfo@embarqmail.com.

For more information about drug prevention initiatives and campaigns or to become involved in drug prevention activities in Sussex County, contact Tina Thompson at The Center in Newton at (973) 383-4787.