Teen spirit fills the halls of BARN during our monthly Friday Teen Nights — a free evening of art, food, friends, and creativity. It mingled with the aroma of delicious burrito bowls on Nov. 15, when six of the 52 participating teens created a whopping 97 Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls to go to Helpline House clients. These hearty bowls are homemade versions of the popular restaurant item featuring a base of rice and a variety of toppings.

The three boys and three girls were described as "amazing, "hard workers," and "attentive" by some of the four volunteers who supported their efforts that night and before the evening by prepping some of the ingredients like the beans and rice. The teens prepared and packed the meals and brainstormed an assembly line setup during the evening and, as one volunteer put it, "that's what community work is all about!"

The popularity of Teen Night is clear — these BARN-wide events have only grown. One family drives their teen all the way from Port Orchard, leaving the parents to explore Bainbridge Island for the three hours their teen is creating at BARN (Teen Night is 6-9 PM).

Teen Night registrations — and registration is required — starts two weeks before the date of the event. If there are no open spaces, people can join the waitlist and be notified by email if a space becomes available. See more about Teen Night and other youth classes.