Shayna “Simba” Castano, Hampton Roads Youth Poet  represented Hampton Roads in the 2012 Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Festival in San Francisco. Photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(BMLTV) NORFOLK, VA. October 10, 2012 – Teens With a Purpose (TWP) – The Youth Movement is proud to announce their move into the Vivian C. Mason Arts & Technology Center for Teens, a City of Norfolk owned facility.

TWP partners with the City of Norfolk Department of Recreation, Parks and Open Space (RPOS) on various teen programs and events that empower Youth to use their voices for positive change in their communities and now extends its partnership with this lease agreement.

When TWP became a community based organization in 2007, TWP had membership of almost a dozen young people. They met in a small room in Blyden Branch Library with the mission to empower young people to use their voices, their energy and their talent to effect positive change in their lives, the lives of others and throughout their community.

With a focus on building self esteem, connectedness and knowledge to help young people address pressing issues in today’s society while creating a safe, non-judgmental space for self expression they forged on. Over these few short years more and more teens joined and became trained peer leaders. They all wanted to be a part of this cool eclectic group of trend-setters who were forming a terrific support network for one another.

They were eager to engage and to give back. They looked forward to rehearsals so that they could perfect their talent and aspired to help change the world one teen at a time. Today, with more than 40 youth members, TWP impacts thousands yearly during community events, workshops, teen summer camp and ongoing teen peer-led events.

“Moving our program from one day a week at the Crispus Attucks Cultural Art Center to five days a week at VCM has lifted time constraints and removed space barriers. Our growth and development seems boundless,” says Deirdre Love, Founder and Executive Director of Teens With a Purpose. TWP’s youth leader, Robert Johnson, shared this pointed quote by Shirley Chisholm, during the September 11th Council Hearing that confirmed the new tenants: “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege to live on this earth.”

TWP vows to make this rent payment, on time, every time! The Vivian C. Mason Arts & Technology Center for Teens is located at 700 E. Olney Road in Norfolk Virginia.