Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to get the latest news about the city’s public school system delivered to your inbox.
Growing up in Newark was tough for Dominique Ellis, a city outreach worker who is one of nine siblings and gives back to her community by connecting with teens in her neighborhood.
During her youth, Ellis, 32, experienced poverty and saw violence in her community, but outside of school and home, she didn’t have a place to unwind or connect with positive role models. That’s why Ellis said Tuesday’s grand opening of a new arts-focused youth center in the West Ward was so special for her.
“I feel this is great for the West Ward because some kids don’t have outlets. So this is an outlet for them to come to where they can have a wellness center and just explore the artist in them,” added Ellis, who works for the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.
City officials braved freezing temperatures Tuesday morning for the grand opening of the new Ronald L. Rice Arts Center West, a $1-million project created to continue the legacy of the late state senator and his mission to invest in the city’s youth. The center aims to provide a safe educational space that allows city youth to explore creative passions and empowers them to transform their trauma into art.
The Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery will manage the center as part of its mission to provide equitable and healing safe spaces in Newark and collaborate with city organizations to reduce crime. The new center will offer mentoring and mental health services by licensed social workers, music programs, creative workshops, and other support for youth ages 12-24.
“This place is to help kids build themselves up,” Ellis said.
Newark is New Jersey’s largest city with about 74,000 children under 18, according to last year’s Kids Count data. In 2024, Mayor Ras Baraka enforced the city’s summer youth curfew as a response to an uptick in youth violence and underscored the need to engage city teens who may not usually seek help. The city had fewer murders last year but an increase in overall violent crime, pointing to the growing need to keep teens off the streets and provide them with more services, city officials said in a press conference last year.
But community violence is rarely seen as an education issue, which Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill, director of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, wants to change. The new youth center is meant to “meet kids where they are,” Wingfield-Hill said.
The goal is to open similar centers in other wards based on area needs, Wingfield-Hill added. Her office provides youth programs across city neighborhoods, but the new center was strategically placed to address the needs of youth in the West Ward.
“When we looked at the data, we saw that there was a high number of youth experiencing violence or being involved in violent incidents. We wanted to offer a space for young people to come and explore different creative and educational opportunities but really, just talk to someone,” Wingfield-Hill said.
During Tuesday’s grand opening, the late senator’s son, Ronald C. Rice, and daughter, Yuki Rice, talked about the importance of the new center in the neighborhood. Ronald Rice said that for decades, city leaders have been searching for a place in the West Ward to build this center.
“[The community] deals with a lot of crime, they deal with a lot of negativity but they also are the most sunniest and most pragmatic and most productive and most forward-looking community you could have,” Ronald Rice said.
Outreach workers like Ellis will encourage city youth to participate in art therapy programs at the center and explore personal healing through creative expressions, Wingfield-Hill said. The center is equipped with a media lab, wellness room, and recording studio to provide youth with the tools they need to pursue creative outlets, Wingfield-Hill added. The center will also host professionals such as Grammy Award-winning producer Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis who attended Tuesday’s grand opening and will mentor students.
Wingfield-Hill said her office will also work with community-based organizations to offer a wide range of programs to city youth and, ultimately, connect with teens.
Ellis, the outreach worker, said the new center is just another avenue for youth to engage with positive role models. The new center provides a space for Ellis to strengthen her relationships with teens in the neighborhood but she is always on call for them.
“If they need a ride or [they] need to talk or need some food, that’s how I build relationships with youth. I open up with them, share my story, and we become family,” Ellis said.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
