The Outback Celebrates 10 Years of Serving Teens

The Outback Teen Center celebrates a special birthday with its "Ten Years for Teens" fundraising event this Fri., Feb., 11, at The Outback.  

Robert Albus III, Lee Cotton, Judy A. Neville, James A. Parsons, Catharine S. Sturgess, and the memory of Mr. Richard Bond will be honored for the instrumental roles they played in conceiving and building this community asset. 

"The support from the community allows us to raise money for the day-to-day operational expenses of the teen center and offer special programs to attract and nurture the development of our teens," Outback Co-President Connie Piotroski told About Town.

, , Impression Point Printing and the New Canaan Advertiser are event sponsors.

Participating vendors are Connecticut Cigar Company, EJ Couloucoundis, La Dame du Fromage, Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines, Simply Creative Catering, , and

The idea for a teen center in New Canaan was conceived more than twenty years ago and received public attention during the 1990’s with the formation of the Youth Commission and the release of two important studies, by the League of Women Voters and by the United Way. 

These studies identified that one of the top three unfulfilled recreation needs in New Canaan was a facility for teens and that its absence posed a serious problem for the community. 

In focus group studies of teens at the time, two factors emerged -- the need for a facility dedicated to teenagers and that this facility be centrally located in town.

In response to this information, concerned parents and civic leaders formed the New Canaan Teen Center non-profit corporation. Over a period of five years, the group raised $2.2 million dollars from New Canaan’s residents, businesses and civic organizations.

Deemed consistent with the town’s long term planning goals, approvals were secured and a 25-year lease was granted. In April 2001 the New Canaan Outback Teen Center opened its doors. 

The Teen Center’s mission is to provide a positive and enriching environment where young people ages 12 to 18 are able to relax, socialize and contribute to the community.

"As of 2009, thirty percent of New Canaan’s population are age 17 and under," Piotroski said, "and we all recognize this group are at the highest risk for substance abuse and other risky behaviors.

At The Outback, New Canaan’s teens can congregate in a safe place that allows them to build independence, develop their interests, and pursue leadership opportunities where they can contribute back to the community.

The Outback is the only organization in town to host dances, band nights and other social events like Girls’ and Guys’ Nights In, with a middle school and high school student governing board.

Teen Scene, a program that is an initiative of the for Kids with Challenges, gives children and teens with special needs a unique and safe way to interact socially face-to-face with their peers.

The New Canaan Teen Center is primarily self-funded and receives 11% of its funding from the town.  Funding comes from the residents of New Canaan and civic groups such as the , , , , and .

Lead corporate sponsors include First County Bank, , .  

Over the past 5 years, more than 50,000 middle school and high school students have visited the facility and the visitors number 67,000 when other community use is included.

"The teen center has become a valued community asset for our teens and many civic organizations in town." said Piotroski. "We look forward to many more years of New Canaan’s teens having a dedicated place to call their own. " 

With the development of digital media becoming an area of increasing creative interest among teens, The Outback will be offering them the tools to explore it when their opens in early March.

Serving with co-president, Christina Fagerstal, Piotroski said, "These are certainly exciting times for us at the Outback Teen Center."