There`s a new place in Elmhurst for teenagers to go after school where they can make pizza, drink pop, play foosball, shoot pool, listen to music or just talk.
And the catch is that there isn`t a catch. It`s just a place where teenagers can go when they don`t have anything to do, said James Gross, assistant to the pastor at Grace Bible Church in Elmhurst, who helped organize the teen group.
The project was started jointly by Gross; Sean O`Connell, a member of the West Suburban Community Church of Elmhurst; and Roger Fuller, a student at York Community High School.
Called The Common Ground, 500 S. Spring Rd., the gathering spot opened just three weeks ago. An average of 10 teens from York High School are there during open hours from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Gross said. ”We`re trying to (reach) the kids who don`t have anything to do, that have too much free time,” he said. Many high school kids today are busy with sporting events after school or jobs, but many have a void in their schedules between the time school gets out and dinnertime, he said.
The building is staffed by one of several adult supervisors, but the kids ”pretty much do it all,” Gross said. ”They even clean up before they leave.”
If the teens make a pizza or have pop, they must pay for it, but there are no other fees or dues. Gross said the cost of opening The Common Ground is nominal, and the building is maintained by West Suburban Community Church and Grace Bible Church. About 65 percent of the financing is from private donors. Although there have been posters put up in Elmhurst and the high school campus advertising the place, Gross said the sponsors mainly are relying on word of mouth.
So far, he said, the teens haven`t said much about it, probably because it hasn`t been open very long. But he is convinced it will catch on.
”When I was a kid, something like this would have been incredible,” he said.
