Our History

In the winter of 2008 St. Andrew's United Methodist Church adopted a strategic planning approach to community outreach. That spring they conducted a door-to-door survey of 223 homes, to determined the perceived needs of people in the greater Syracuse, Indiana area. The survey demonstrated that many people, both parents and non-parents, believe that youth needed something to do during their free time.

In the fall of 2008 a second survey was conducted, involving 264 students at Wawasee High School. The survey indicated that youth need a place to "hang out", where they can enjoy unstructured activity, including relaxation and games. The survey also showed us that many youth are struggling with school, and need one-on-one tutoring, to help them meet their academic requirements.

In addition, our research indicates that youth are negatively impacted by broken families and a lack of positive role models. Likewise, most teenagers do not have a spiritual foundation, upon which to make constructive choices in their lives.

In order to address these needs, St. Andrew's funded the formation of a public charity in September of 2009, called Syracuse Community Youth Initiative, Inc. The Syracuse Community Youth Initiative became a collaborative effort, drawing resources from other not-for-profits, churches, service clubs, private individuals, foundations, and government funds.

In the spring of 2014 we officially changed our name to "Rock Solid Teen Center," as we would like to see our vision expand beyond the greater Syracuse area.

In the winter of 2015 we moved to the Wawasee High School cafeteria. We continue to meet there as we pursue a permanent location.