Safe Space Opens New Media Center
By VERONICA LEWIN
Youth in Queens are being given the chance to learn how to produce their own music, a dream some never thought would come to fruition.
Safe Space hosted a grand opening celebration Dec. 8 in honor of the new Multi-Media Arts Center in Jamaica. The new Multi-Media Arts Center boasts eight new iMac computers, keyboards and recording software. Safe Space participants must earn the right to use the media center before entering the eight-week course. Young people learn how to use graphic design software and how to record and edit audio and video projects.
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| Borough President Helen Marshall takes a crash course at the new Multi-Media Arts Center in Jamaica. Photo: Dominick Totino Photography |
Borough President Helen Marshall, the keynote speaker at last Thursday’s event, donated $520,000 in funding to Safe Space for various projects, including the new media center. “I am proud to support this kind of innovative initiative because it provides the safe, positive and productive activities that our young people in Jamaica really need and deserve to reach their full potential,” Marshall said in a statement.
Christine Molnar, president and CEO of Safe Space, said the new technology at the center gives Southeast Queens youth the opportunity to enjoy themselves through learning. “The Multi-Media Arts Center is an opportunity for our kids to be creative and explore something that is a passion for them,” Molnar said.
Safe Space was founded in 1919 as the Queensboro Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In the last 92 years, the organization has expanded to provide family support, mental health services and youth development services. In July, Safe Space moved its headquarters from Manhattan to 89-74 162nd St. in Jamaica. The organization also has renovated centers in Far Rockaway and Richmond Hill, making a Safe Space close to nearly all in Southeast Queens.
Safe Space tries to bring as many opportunities to the youth and families in the area as possible. More than 46 percent of the Safe Space staff is bilingual to provide non-English speakers with assistance. According to the American Community Survey, as of 2006, nearly 25 percent of adults in Jamaica lacked a high school diploma. One in 10 adults had less than an 8th grade education. The organization currently operates five school-based partnership programs in Jamaica and Far Rockaway.
The organization’s headquarters is home to The Space, an after-school hangout destination for teens. The brightly-painted walls and comfortable couches make the area an inviting place for youth. The Space also has a television and a quiet study area. In The Space’s first year of being open, 800 kids from the community came to use the services. The organization hopes to serve 1,200 youth this year.
The Space is open to youth ages 13 to 21. The Space is open Monday through Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m., Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, call (718) 526-2400.
Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.