After officially hiring Noll & Tam, the Teen Task Force decided to start things off with a kick-off meeting. After great discussion, we developed a list of people to invite. Included in the meeting were the YMCA Teen Task Force, YMCA Board representatives, YCMA Teen Department staff, and Noll & Tam Architects. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the project overview, establish project parameters, and to begin project visioning. The architectural firm was introduced to the YMCA attendees by a Teen Task Force member who simply stated who Noll & Tam Architectural Firm is and how we came to our decision of hiring them as our architects. Following introductions, each attendee briefly explained one thing that they felt is important about the future Berkeley YMCA Teen Center. We discussed the project schedule and work plan that will take place. During the kick-off meeting, the community process was elaborated. Stakeholders were identified. Noll & Tam presented a PowerPoint presentation that exemplified teen spaces and teen cultures. The presentation represented what the teen culture is like and how the teen culture is important to include during the process of developing the new Berkeley YMCA Teen Center. As a group, the Teen Task Force, Noll & Tam, and the YMCA family identified goals and expectations for the future Teen Center project. These expectations and goals were expressed by every attendee in his or her opinion and were written down and later voted on by everyone to come to a consensus as to what are the top three most important aspects that need to be included in the Teen Center. These top three aspects are natural light and energy, outdoor space, and a welcoming energy.
This meeting was productive in the sense that it gave us all opportunities to open our minds to new ideas, goals, and expectations. Each person who attended expressed his or her ideas freely, and the group accepted them whole-heartedly. This kick-off meeting reminded us all that the Teen Center will not only effect teens but adults and the community as a whole as well. Throughout the process it is important for us to remain open to any suggestions, ideas, or even opposition because it is through these types of things that we will grow strong and create a Teen Center that is successful.
