ON THE ROAD: Mixing fun and learning

A summer program offers both recreational and educational trips

Southwest area teens are combatting boredom this summer and taking to the street.

The On the Road teen summer program at Desert Breeze Community Center, Spring Mountain Road and Durango Drive, keeps kids ages 12 to 17 busy three times a week with educational, recreational and fun field trips.

On a Friday in June, participants made their way around the go-cart tracks at the Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix before visiting the headquarters of the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The On the Road program is for children too old for the center's Rec Trek program, for ages 6 to 12, which currently is 150 strong with 60 children on a waiting list. Creators of the program three years ago thought the best way to serve the older age group was to get them outside the center.

"I wanted them to learn things while having fun," said Jill Bowman, program coordinator. "You have to entertain them. If you keep them in the center they get very bored. Then, we'd have behavior problems."

Some weeks are themed, such as transportation week, while others feature activities randomly chosen by Bowman. She said Las Vegas has many places to take children, you just have to know where to find them.

The trip to the Water Reclamation District wasn't too much fun for the teens. Their faces crumbled when they talked about the waste they saw, and smelled, during that tour.

"It was nasty," said Devin Coble, 12.

Tours to the Sunshine Pickle factory, Eldorado Canyon mine tour and the aquarium inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace are more popular, Bowman said. Trips to Hoover Dam, museums and Boulder City also are in the works.

"You're with your friends and you get to do something. I'm usually watching the Game Show Network all day. That's how bored I am," said Brendan Burns, 13. "I want to be a marine biologist, so (the trip to the aquarium) really helped."

"You get to go to places, and you don't have to sit at home," said Marylynn Thompson, 12. "Some of it is interesting and we learn it."

The On the Road program at Desert Breeze Community Center is $60 per week, but the program is popular, Bowman said.

"We're full every week of the summer except for just a couple," Bowman said. "There's a need for educational and recreational programs. So Desert Breeze is the one that provides it."

By the end of the summer, many of the participants agreed they may know Las Vegas better than their parents.

"I would say so," Marylynn said.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the On the Road program isn't whisking the children off to a new adventure, many of them participate in the Leaders of the Future Program. Teens are given responsibilities around Desert Breeze Community Center, such as working the front desk or working with the younger children, to prepare them for the world of work.

"We've hired teen leaders before," Bowman said.

"Since I was older, I wanted to do something where you had a little more freedom, but you could still help at the center," said P.J. Reed, 13. "I want to be with the kids and see how they're doing."

P.J. is taking his experience at the center and using it as a map for the future.

"I want to do it until I can volunteer or get paid like Jill," he said. "I want to have fun as a grown-up."

Those interested in the On the Road or Leaders of the Future teen programs, can call Desert Breeze Community Center at 455-8334.


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