An innovative program for teens could be coming to the Sunset Recreation Center.

Area teacher Mary Goff, teamed with the Clatsop County 4-H, said the program was designed for teens not otherwise served by school activities.

“This is a new innovative model for a group of students at a time when there just haven’t been the cohesive kinds of offerings or places offered them,” Goff said at an August meeting of the Sunset Park and Recreation District Board of Directors.

The rec center “ticks a lot of boxes,” she said. “It is a safe and supportive location. It’s got a wholesome physical space with lots of possible ways to use it.”

Two trained adults would work with between six and 20 students, Goff said. “We’re looking at the possibility of using one room that could be rehabbed, specifically by the teens.”

A science room or storage room, with possible use of other spaces could be used for the program. “Practical skills development is what we’re talking about,” she said.

The program would stress scientific and critical thinking for careers in technology, consumer science, animal training and medical science among areas of interest. South County could serve as the prototype for the program elsewhere, including the northern part of Clatsop County.

In March, Goff met with 4-H program coordinator Sandra Carlson to discuss unique needs and goals. In days ahead, the program plans new adult volunteer training, teen participant outreach and the first in-person meeting for teens during the first week of October.

The program offers a home where young people can count on going for the school year, Goff said. “Do they have a place to go after school? Are they going to work? When COVID hit a lot of students who had been in alternative programs were faced with the possibility that they had to go to work because their families needed help,” Goff said. “They have lost the opportunity to even think about moving ahead and in school, for those reasons.”

Goff said the program is meant to be a safe, supportive and inexpensive program supported by teen fundraising events, assisted by adults and co-leaders, “things that involve skill sets that younger kids just are not likely to be able to undertake on their own.”

The program could take some of the burden off school career technical education programs, which are stretched to provide programs for nontraditional learning.

For young people, the program is not graded, tested or evaluated in a traditional way, Goff said. “It’s a nonjudgmental opportunity for kids to explore and build their own interests and voice based on what the teens are interested in,” she said.

The goal is to “bring out the spark in each student,” she said, particularly for teens who are disengaged. “There’s a development sweet spot for teenagers we’re missing.”

“Personally I think 4-H is a great fit,” park district board president Katharine Parker said.

The group could be part of a flex-lease program, sharing space and costs with other organizations, board members suggested.

“It would be great if they could have a community room, that they reserve and have time on, and still have other community partners come in and use that space,” Parker said. “I understand they want to have their own space, but since they’re using it for such a small time, maybe they could use it with community partners. I think it would be a great fit.”

“I’m going to keep working with them to refine their plan and needs,” Skyler Archibald, the park district’s executive director, said after the meeting.