Kids’ Night Out : New Social Club Gives Santa Paula Teens a Safe Place to Meet

At age 14 in this small agricultural city, Alfredo Leon says his options for night life have consisted of wandering the streets, arguing with friends or watching television.

But now, the teen-ager says he and his friends spend every evening at the city’s new Club UNO (Ultimate Night Out) at the Santa Paula Boys & Girls Club, a program that began three weeks ago.

“I would rather come here to play basketball and pool than walk on the streets at night,” Alfredo said.

Alfredo is one of about 100 teen-agers who have flocked to the Boys & Girls Club to play table soccer, video games, basketball and more three nights a week.

A $23,000 federal grant allows the club to operate from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday and from 7 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition to games, it offers movies and dances for teen-agers, 13 to 18 years old.

“I think it’s really cool to have the club, because it gives us things to do at night and it keeps us off the streets,” Alfredo said, adding that he has often been asked to join one of the four gangs in Santa Paula.

For years, the Santa Paula Boys & Girls Club wanted to keep the facility open at night for teen-agers but never had the funds, said Dawne Koranda, program director for the club.

“There is such a strong need for a place where teen-agers can socialize in the evenings,” Koranda said. “Santa Paula is a terrible gang city and we call ourselves the safe place where kids can have some fun.”

The only alternatives for youths in the evenings are either to attend a school event, if there is one, or go to the movie theater, Koranda said.

“There is not much to do in Santa Paula,” Koranda said. “That’s why it’s so important that we reach out to teens.”

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To operate the program, the club hired Eric Barragan, who grew up in Santa Paula and who has worked with teen-agers in various locations in the county.

Besides supervising the youngsters in the evenings, Barragan also arranges for outdoors events such as hikes and trips and raises funds for the club.

For UNO’s grand-opening celebration, scheduled Friday, Barragan contacted businesses and asked them to donate food, soft drinks and entertainment. Barragan also distributed flyers to students at Santa Paula High School.

“The number of teens coming by has increased each day, and we hope to have an average of about 100 teens each night,” Barragan said.

To participate, teen-agers should become a member, he said. Membership is free through Dec. 31, but in 1996, membership will cost $12 a year.

The program is part of a national effort by the Boys & Girls Club to attract teen-agers, Koranda said.

In fact, the Oxnard Boys & Girls Club is working on a project to stay open in the evenings for teen-agers, said Abe Oliveras, executive director for that city. The program is expected to begin by next year, he said.

For Erma Pachuca, the mother of a 14-year-old boy, Club UNO is the type of place where she feels secure sending her son.

“I think this is one of the best things the city has done for teen-agers,” Pachuca said, as she picked up her son at the club one recent evening. “Television is not enough to keep teen-agers busy at night.”