Brooklyn Welcomes New Teen Tech Center at Kings Highway

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A group of youth and adults cut a ribbon with giant scissors at the Best buy Teen Tech Center Brooklyn Grand Opening

Brooklyn Public Library Partners with The Clubhouse Network and Best Buy to Open Center

We recently welcomed our newest partner to The Clubhouse Network.  On March 28, the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at the Kings Highway branch of the Brooklyn Public Library held its grand opening. As a member of The Clubhouse Network, this center joins our international community of more than 100 Clubhouses located in 18 countries, providing youth with life-changing opportunities for 25 years. This site is the second in Brooklyn, joining The Clubhouse @ HELP New Horizons, and is the first Best Buy Teen Tech Center in New York City.

“My first time going to the center, it was literally jaw-dropping,” Jasmine Morris, 14, said at the grand opening. “I was amazed to see and hear about all the activities this place has to offer.”

“It’s an honor to welcome the Brooklyn Public Library to The Clubhouse Network,” said Gail Breslow, Executive Director. “I’m thrilled to be working with such a strong local community organization in partnership with Best Buy, ERI, and others to establish a warm and welcoming learning space for teens to express themselves creatively at the Kings Highway Branch.”

See photos from the Grand Opening

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Like other Clubhouses and Teen Tech Centers, this new space offers teens access to technology for programming, film making, music production, graphic design, and more, with the support of adult staff and mentors who serve as role models.

“I started working on a few projects, but I didn’t really understand how the technology worked,” said Earnest Rafailov, 16. “As time went on, I started thinking, ‘What else can I create?’ Now I don’t even use the instructions anymore. My friends and I will try to get the hang of it together, and we’re getting better at understanding how things work on our own.”

As time went on, I started thinking, ‘What else can I create?’ Now I don’t even use the instructions anymore.

Karen Keys, coordinator of young-adult services for the Brooklyn library system said, “Kings Highway is one of our biggest branches and there’s a big teen presence. The library itself had always wanted to develop a space that was uniquely for teens.”

The Clubhouse Network, Best Buy, and the Brooklyn Public Library are grateful for the partnership and support of additional local sponsors including ERI, the leading recycler of electronic waste in the country and State Senator Simcha Felder who secured state funding.

Across the country, many communities lack support and access to the tools and experiences that can unlock a better future and prepare teens for the challenges ahead. Since 2012, Best Buy has partnered with The Clubhouse Network to bring Best Buy Teen Tech Centers to 28 different U.S. cities, with a plan to launch 12 more in 2019. As members of The Clubhouse Network, Teen Tech Centers embrace The Network’s mission and learning model.

Additional Coverage

Get involved by becoming a mentor, a sponsor, or by supporting the Network.

WATCH: A teen shares how they’ve made use of the new center

One of our teens expressed her sentiments of attending Best Buy Teen Center.

Posted by Kings Highway Library on Monday, April 1, 2019