OLD TOWN – The Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club Teen Center will hold an open house 1-5 p.m. Nov. 18, at Indian Island.

The Teen Center is the result of a first-time collaboration between the Penobscot Nation and the Maine Youth Alliance, the parent agency for the Waterville Area Boys and Girls Club. The Waterville organization approached the nation’s tribal council last May with a small grant to help Penobscot youth.

An advisory committee, made up of representatives from tribal youth-serving agencies, determined that the nation’s teen population was the most underserved. Through an unprecedented agreement, the Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club Teen Center was born.

Ken Walsh, director and CEO of the Waterville Area Boys and Girls Club, commented on the unique relationship between his organization and the nation saying, “This setup is working; we all have the best interests of Penobscot youth at heart. Each of us brings our precious resources together and the youth are benefiting.”

The teen program, housed in the Kateri Center, a multipurpose center owned and maintained by the nation, is open five nights a week for teens.

Since the center opened its doors in September, all but a few of the nation’s 45 or so teens have visited the center at least once and the average attendance each night is about 25. Teens from Old Town and surrounding communities also have used the center.

The teens are establishing a youth council to help plan and implement more programming at the center and to assist with fund-raising activities. For more information about the center or the open house, call Brian Galipeau at 827-7776, Ext. 7472.