Black Lives Matter Paterson recently signed a lease to transform a vacant medical center into a youth center after its medical practitioner was convicted of selling prescriptions of Percocet.

We expect to serve between 35 – 50 teens after school and also provide monthly programming to help parents navigate through the teenage years. We hope to run our youth summer program in the location.

BLM Paterson will be canvassing the neighborhood and hosting listening sessions to receive input and involve the youth of the design and purposes of the space. There are 4 rooms that we hope to transform to address their needs and creativity.

We are located in Paterson, New Jersey and will teens and families from the surrounding area. We have plans to provide free programs during after-school and unsupervised hours where teens can engage in beneficial, educational, and leisure-time activities in a safe environment. The BLM Youth Center is a place for teens not just to be, but to become.

BLM Paterson is in need of your financial support to be able to provide programming and support to our youth. Your gift enables BLM Paterson to continue providing the opportunities, staffing, and resources critical to serving the youth of our community. Your gift is urgently needed to maintain the present operation.

Phase 1 - $5,000

Phase 2- $10,000

Phase 3- $15,000

Phase 4- $20,000

We hope to raise $20,000 by June in order to fund the transformation of each room to serve the needs of the youth.