New youth-focused learning and fun center opens in downtown Blackfoot
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BLACKFOOT — After months of planning, construction, and community collaboration, a new youth-focused learning and gathering center is opening its doors in downtown Blackfoot at 79 West Pacific Street
Now with an official name, The Next Step Forward Center will officially open Friday, Feb. 13, with an open house from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., coinciding with Blackfoot’s Downtown Market featuring handmade goods by local artisans and crafters.
The project is the vision of Blackfoot businessman Cesilio Silveira and Mary Morrison, a local businesswoman and building owner.
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With the help of dozens of volunteers — many of them local teenagers — Silveira and Morrison have spent months transforming the space into a youth-centered hub for learning and recreation.
Much of the work has been guided by a newly formed youth advisory board led by Kinsie Thatcher, a 17-year-old senior at Blackfoot High School.
“It’s been so fun seeing kids in the community take ownership by painting, building, creating and doing things they’ve never done before,” Morrison said.
The Next Step Forward Center is designed to serve youth of all ages and will offer a variety of opportunities, including tutoring, skill-building classes, challenge courses and recreational activities. Amenities include games, a TV lounge, free internet access, a study area, and light snacks and drinks.
“This is meant to be a safe haven,” Silveira said. “A place where youth feel welcome, where they can study, read, hang out, or just have fun while learning something new.”
Silveira, the partner and CEO of S3 Marketing Agency, said the idea for the center grew out of conversations with local youth. He noticed many were eager to learn practical, real-world skills not always covered in school, such as filing taxes, buying a home, starting a business, or planning for life after graduation.
To help meet those needs, Silveira plans to offer courses taught by volunteer instructors, including retired teachers, college students and professionals, while also working with local school districts to complement existing educational programs.
“It’s been really rewarding to see this come alive and to see the youth and community involvement,” he said.
The center is separate from the Blackfoot Community Center and is not intended to compete with it. Instead, Morrison and Silveira hope to partner with the center on larger activities that require more space, such as arcade games or laser tag.
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A website for The Next Step Forward Center is expected to launch later this week. Organizers are also seeking sponsors and donations of recreational equipment such as air hockey tables, pinball machines and table soccer.
Community members interested in volunteering or donating items can contact Silveira at (208) 709-6519.
