ANN ARBOR, MI – The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) and the Neutral Zone are partnering together to support area teens who have limited resources to achieve success.
Neutral Zone, a diverse, youth-driven teen center is dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. Through the Neutral Zone’s SCORE Program, TheRide will help bolster success, respect and understanding of area youth.
Together, TheRide and Neutral Zone will collaborate to support area youth. TheRide, by helping get these teens to where they need to go, and the Neutral Zone, by creating a safe, supportive space for the youth. The partnership will allow the two organizations to support each other in a number of ways including:
- Hosting events with Neutral Zone youth and their parents and, TheRide’s Motor Coach Operators (MCOs) and transportation supervisors to help support a safe environment
- The Neutral Zone will provide TheRide with training in youth development needs, building youth assets, fostering youth and adult relationships, and restorative practices
- The Neutral Zone will provide bus passes to under-resourced teens, compliments of TheRide, to allow them easier access to the Neutral Zone activities and the broader community.
“Fostering relationships within our community is very important to TheRide and our community’s youth play such a critical role in this. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Neutral Zone to allow more open communication and understanding between youth in the community and our staff,” Bryan Smith, TheRide’s Deputy CEO of Operations said.
Neutral Zone Executive Director, Lori Roddy reinforced this idea, saying, “This partnership is about supporting young people to know that they are safe, that they belong and that they have access to be a part of the community. I feel confident that this will go a long way for their personal growth and future opportunities.”
To learn more about the Neutral Zone, visit https://www.neutral-zone.org/.