Saratoga News

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The Venue offers plenty for local teenagers to do

Think that the teenagers in Los Gatos have it bad? Lee Fagot of A Place for Teens believes otherwise, and he hopes to prove his point this week when The Venue opens up for all to see.

He plans to open the doors at the teen center for "The Venue Awareness Evening" on Feb. 28, 7:30-8:30 p.m., to give community members an opportunity to see up close and personal what's available for teens in town, and how adults can get involved with fundraising and management.

The Venue is located on the Los Gatos High School campus but is not affiliated with the high school or the town. It's a place for teens to hang out, and it's outfitted with pool tables, a big screen television, wireless Xbox controllers and five computers with video games for recreation, a snack bar and tables for students to do their homework. There's a recording studio for kids who want to play music, wifi for teens to use their own computers and a place for Friday night concerts.

Fagot is the co-president of A Place for Teens, a nonprofit organization that started in 1989. A few years later, A Place for Teens opened The Venue, which in 2007 was recognized by Project Cornerstone, a group that advocates healthy relationships, opportunities and values for young people.

Over the years, The Venue has struggled with funding but has still managed to increase the number of activities it offers to local teens. The facility is now virtually a full-service outlet for the youth in town to enjoy the many activities it has to offer, or to just hang out with friends in a teen-friendly environment. Fagot reports that more than 250 teenagers a day are using The Venue for those very reasons.

The Venue could certainly do well with additional support--financial and otherwise--from the community, and Fagot is hoping to encourage that at the open house event on Wednesday.

More than that, though, "The Venue Awareness Evening" will put to rest the criticisms that there's nothing for teens to do in town. Lee Fagot knows otherwise.

Support the Cats

Speaking of Los Gatos teens, don't miss the chance to support a group of 20 or so of them this week when the talented Los Gatos High School girls soccer team takes on St. Francis in the Central Coast Section championship game.

The Wildcats and Lancers will play for the CCS Division I title on Feb. 27, 4:30 p.m., on the field at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. The hard work that these girls have put in--many of them playing the sport year round--has paid off with a berth in the most prestigious girls soccer game of the year. Win or lose, it's been quite a season for the girls, and reaching the title game is an accomplishment worthy of community support.