What is there for teens to do in the greater Ponte Vedra area, especially if they want to meet others who share their interests?
Raghu Misra, founder of the link, a multipurpose facility in Nocatee Town Center, devoted some serious thought to the issue. And the result will appeal to members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
“I built the link so founders in Nocatee had a place to build,” he explains in a note on the link’s website. “And I kept noticing the same thing: this community is full of teenagers with drive and curiosity — and nowhere to point it. School ends, and the options are a parking lot, a coffee shop or a screen.”
Misra’s solution: The Teen Lounge, a kind of home base for teenagers ages 13 through 17 to play, study, create things and just have fun.
The lounge will have a pool table, ping pong, games, music nights and movie nights, special themed events and more. It will be a place to make friends and feel welcome. And it will reflect the interests of the young people who use it; a teen council will actually run the lounge, overseeing key aspects of its operation.
No question about it — way better than lonely evenings of doom scrolling!
Two large rooms at the link will be devoted to the lounge: an activity zone filled with lots of games and things to do and a quiet productivity zone where teens can learn, do homework or attend webinars and workshops.
For those who can’t find the type of extracurricular activities that appeal most to them at their schools — such as theatre or dance — the lounge could fill that gap.
The specifics of what will be offered will be up to the teens themselves, based on their own interests. While there will be adults to act as advisers, the link staff members won’t impose their own ideas on the teens.
And while the emphasis is on fun, there is plenty of potential to learn new things.
Though still under development, The Teen Lounge has already tested the waters. Two movie nights, a luau night, a trivia night, a tournament night and a Jackbox game night — all free — were held over the past month, and attendance was good.
Looking ahead, the lounge will be open a few nights a week, likely between 4 and 8 p.m. (So, after school.) Eventually, Misra and his team hope to extend that to seven days a week. Hours on Saturday will be different than on weekdays, of course, though Thursdays and Fridays will likely be open longer.
“If Friday and Saturday the teens want to hang out until midnight, so be it,” said Misra.
Parents will be included in their teens’ involvement, beginning with the application process. Also, the link offers adult staff onsite at all times, controlled access and a substance-free environment. A code of conduct will be in place to maintain a level of decorum, especially since the link is a professional space.
That should also comfort teens and parents who want something worry-free.
“We want everybody to feel: This is truly a safe space for us to be in,” Misra explained.
A unique advantage the link offers that is not available at other facilities is the presence of business professionals, many of whom maintain offices or work areas on the second floor. Where else can a typical young person strike up a conversation with the CEO of an international enterprise?
And many of these businesses may be seeking interns. Participation in various activities, in addition to simple propinquity, can help to identify internship prospects.
Right now, the link is signing up its founding 100 members. Membership will be offered at a rate of about $2 a day (at $59 per month). As membership grows and expenses increase to accommodate the growing demand for activities, that may be increased to about $99 a month.
All Teen Lounge activities will take place at the link, 425 Town Plaza Ave., Ponte Vedra.
To learn more, get answers or sign up, go to lounge.thelink.zone.
