However, Vernon-Lee I. Manglona, the center’s youth affairs representative, yesterday said they were able to tap other programs for the youth.
The summer Youth Empowerment Camp and the Youth Takeover Program were suspended because they require funding.
But the youth center continues to work with the Paseo de Marianas Promoters Inc.’s Awaodori dance group and the Korean community.
Manglona said the Awaodori dance group helps the youth maintain physical fitness.
Members of the Korean community, for their part, teach the youth games like ping-pong and the Korean language.
The “after-school program” of the Koblerville center has contributed much to the welfare and well-being of the youth, Manglona said.
The parents, though upset about the burglary incident, continue to support the center, he added.
The center lost its new computer to burglars on May 25, but the Department of Public Safety has yet to make an arrest.
Manglona said the computer was very important since the children used it for their homework.
They have been getting pledges from different individuals who want to donate equipment to the center, he added.
Some parents regularly visit the center to volunteer their time and services like Gerard Muna who helps clean up its surroundings.
Antonio Celis from the office of Rep. Eliceo D. Cabrera attends to the disposal of the center’s trash, while senior students help tutor younger students at the center.
Manglona himself conducts “one-on-one” sessions with students who need help in their studies.
He said they also avail of the workshops and presentations of the Community Guidance Center for the youth.
“The community should help protect the center,” he said.
He also expects local leaders of the Precinct 1 to attend to the needs of the center.
The center, he added, has become an extension of the house and school in providing guidance to the youth.
