Bridging the gap

One Hospital Found That Reaching Young People Is as Simple as Listening

Mike Torres first went to the Bridge because he tagged along with a friend who was meeting his girlfriend there.

Miguel Rubert went because he thought he and his friends were heading to a video arcade across the bridge in Philadelphia. And Marisol Colon went simply because she wanted a reason to get out of her house. But despite the varying reasons these three Camden, NJ, teenagers first attended the Bridge, a support group for teens and young adults, their reasons for returning were the same: They all felt that-- finally-someone listened to them.

"At first, I was just laughing to myself because kids were sharing the most intimate details of their life," recalls Mike Torres, now a detective for the city of Camden and the mayor's bodyguard. "But later that night, I realized that there must be something special about the Bridge that would enable kids to talk openly to strangers. That's what made me go back. It couldn't have happened at a better time, because my parents had split and my brothers had left our house, so, at 17, I was living alone and very vulnerable."

Miguel Rubert, currently an investigator for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, recalls his first Bridge encounter: "I was about 13 and lived in what they call the `danger zone' section of Camden. I thought we were going to Philly to play video games, and when we got to the Bridge, I thought, this stinks, there's no video games, no radio, no TV, just an empty room. I said `I'm never coming to this place again.' Then the kids started talking-kids from different neighborhoods who usually argue or fight-and I thought `Wow, this is amazing.' And then the magic just took over and I went back to the Bridge every week."

"I liked the Bridge right away because it was about us," recalls Marisol Colon, now a school counselor. "It was never boring and we talked about issues concerning what we were doing at the time."

Today, all three "Bridge kids" are in their twenties and maintain strong connections with the group by serving as adult volunteers. Like other young people from the Camden area, they tell how a simple program like the Bridge changed the direction of their lives.

THE BRIDGE'S BEGINNINGS

The Bridge began in 1979, when Sr. Helen Owens, OSF, RN, founder of the Wellness Center at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, NJ, and its vice president of mission, wanted to form a program for the young adults that she met while visiting Camden during her home nursing duties.

She observed that there were many programs in the area for youth who were in trouble, but nothing for those who were trying to avoid trouble. Along with Rev. Michael Mannion, STL, former chaplain at Catholic University in Washington, DC, and now executive director of Blackwood Retreat House in Blackwood, NJ, Sr. Owens decided to go directly "to the source" by gathering young people from Camden and surrounding areas and asking them what type of group they would like.

One of the young people in the gathering was Renee Pinardo, a 20-year-old mother of a threeyear-old. Pinardo and her peers met with Sr. Owens and Fr. Mannion and talked about what might have prevented some of their problems.

Their surroundings were not exactly swank. They met in an abandoned building and tried to make it homey by adding an old carpet and pieces of furniture from someone's attic. They didn't advertise the meetings, but kids told their friends and they told their cousins, and before long Tuesday evenings at the Bridge were packed.

The guidelines at the Bridge were-and still are-simple. The Bridge starts promptly at 7:30 PM. Young people run the show. No one is laughed at or judged. If someone has a problem, the others listen.

FINDING ACCEPTANCE AND RESPECT

While other teen programs in the Camden area have come and gone, the Bridge remains a fixture.

"The Bridge attracts kids because they are totally accepted, respected, and cared about," explains Pinardo. "It focuses on the dignity of the person, communication skills, conflict resolution, and getting through life."

"There is no right or wrong at the Bridge, you just say how you feel," says Torres. "You can vent at the Bridge, and you can turn a negative into a positive."

Adds Ruben, "The Bridge is no oasis to problem solving, but it is an outlet, another option for teens. I liked the fact that the Bridge was always there if a kid needed a place to chill out, to get to know new kids, to talk, or to just listen."

Almost two decades after she stumbled into the Bridge, Pinardo is a certified social worker who serves as director of the Bridge. To introduce teens to new experiences, Pinardo regularly invites dynamic speakers to the Bridge.

"Renee knows that she doesn't know everything, so she includes experts in different fields who are able to hold kids' attention," says Ruben. "Whether it's representatives of different professions, or a volunteer from Women Against Rape, she makes sure they know how to talk to teens."