New Director, New Direction: Ellen Tiven-Moore Shares Her Vision for Scarsdale Teen Center's Future

Dorothy Parker once said that the best way to keep children at home was to make the home atmosphere pleasant and let the air out of the tires. But Ellen Tiven-Moore, the Scarsdale Teen Center's new executive director, wants to save parents a trip to AutoZone. Her strategy? Send adolescents to the Teen Center before they can drive. Sure, they won't be at home, but they'll at least be in a safe, nurturing environment... without parents having to maim any Michelins. 

The Scarsdale Teen Center, which opened in 1998, was initially created to provide teens with an alcohol and drug-free environment where they could interact with peers through a variety of recreational, social and educational activities. Tiven-Moore, who was appointed as the Teen Center's new executive director last month, plans to preserve the Teen Center's past mission and programming, save one exception — an expanded age demographic.

"I spent a lot of time talking with local community boards and parents of teenagers to find out more what was working with the Teen Center and what wasn't, as well as how people would like to see it grow in the future," said Tiven-Moore, an Ardsley resident who has worked with children’s behavioral therapy and education and once served as owner and director of Circle of Friends Nursery School in Manhattan. 

"I discovered a very common thread: Everyone loves the Teen Center, and they see it as a vital part of community. It has enormous potential, but that potential wasn't being realized."

Tiven-Moore's initial reponse was to re-examine the Teen Center's programming. She quickly realized, however, that the Center's extracurricular schedule — replete with pizza parties, comedy nights and DIY-spa sessions — wasn't the issue. 

"The programming going on was being offered to the wrong children," Tiven-Moore explained. "High school students aren't looking towards the Teen Center for their social recreation. Once they hit that age, they have their drivers' licenses and a whole new social world opens to them. The Teen Center isn't making their hit parade."

Tiven-Moore's strategy? Open the Teen Center's doors to middle school students.

"We're not looking to abandon the high school students," Tiven-Moore said. "In fact, by reaching out to younger children we're making a connection with them that will grow as they age up. By the time kids reach high school, it's too late." 

Tiven-Moore envisions high school students using the Teen Center as a venue for creative outlets, or perhaps as a place to fulfill volunteer requirements for graduation and give back to the community. 

"We're trying to figure out how to connect with teens in a bigger way," said Tiven-Moore. "For instance, if a teenager is interested in theater, we can let them use the space, give them support staff and allow them to use the facilities to teach theater to younger kids. There's also a lot of requirements for graduation that they could fulfill [by volunteering here]." 

Teens notoriously loathe chores, and Tiven-Moore hopes that spending time at Teen Center won't become another mantatory activity sandwiched between homework, laundry and debate team practice for high school students. 

"In my heart of hearts, I want teenagers to be coming to us not out of obligation, but because we're a great place where they can do something that they're interested in that they might not be able to do somewhere else. That's the ultimate goal, and it's a work in progress," Tiven-Moore said. 

In order to get teens and tweens alike to visit the Teen Center, Tiven-Moore, along with newly-appointed program director Eugenia Valliades, have been spending lots of time in a place that many middle and high school students consider to be their vicarious home-away-from-home: the Internet.

"Social media is the only way to reach them," Tiven-Moore said. "If you want to reach teens directly, it has to be through the Internet. We're very active online. We have Facebook and a Twitter account, both which we continuously update. We're getting friend requests, and our numbers are going up. We're also posting pictures from our events. It's been really great."

So what can teens and tweens expect if they visit the Scarsdale Teen Center this fall? The Village's first-ever haunted house, for one.

"Halloween for parents and teens is really difficult. It's always the bane of parents' existence, and it's difficult to find productive, youth-based activities that teens will want to do around Halloween. In the past, the Teen Center has tried parties and such, and it has just not worked," Tiven-Moore said.

"The Haunted Dungeon," which will be held at the Scarsdale Teen Center from Oct. 27-31, will feature 2,000 square feet filled with gruesome props ranging from zombies and clowns to decaying bodies from the morgue. Other upcoming fall events include an open mic night, karaoke, casino night, a girl’s evening out and movie screenings. 

The Scarsdale Teen Center is located at 862 Scarsdale Avenue. Contact the center at (914)722-8358 or visit its website, Twitter or Facebook page.