“Wanna hang out?”
“Obviously!”
“OK, so what should we do?”
Crickets.
I could suggest the mall, but I don’t need anything. I would say we could see a movie, but nothing good is playing. We could go get food, but that’s so typical. I would propose a walk at a park, but the weather is unpredictable. Repeatedly, I grapple with there not being much appealing for teenagers when it comes to socialization spots. If I had the means to fix this issue, I would, believe me.
In my dream world, I would build the business that eliminates the dreaded phrase, “What should we do?” I would call it the Sweet Spot. Based around the concept of a bar, my business would offer teenagers a place to hang around and chat in a laidback atmosphere that still satisfies the desire to go out.
Young people could come in, buy a special drink (the Sweet Spot would be equipped with soda bars, baristas and a selection of specialty energy drinks), participate in karaoke and take advantage of photo ops.
We would host themed events weekly, and Friday nights would always feature live music to support our local bands. Additionally, the Sweet Spot would stay open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 11 p.m. on weeknights. This would be a strategic response to the demand for late-night adventures, since my friends and I are now experiencing a drought of places open late.
In addition to the problem of which establishments are open, the Sweet Spot would solve numerous issues facing the social lives of teenagers.
First, teenagers are infamously broke. The Sweet Spot would not drain bank accounts. Someone can come in, buy a drink for $5 – maybe less – hang out for a bit and leave without buyer’s remorse. No more parental scolding for irresponsible spending!
Secondly, my business would get “screen-agers” out and interacting with real people their age. Social anxiety? Mitigated!
Finally, the Sweet Spot could encourage an alternative to underage drinking. A legal bar for adolescents would assuage FOMO. The Sweet Spot could be the answer for fixing the adolescent social scene.
“So, what should we do this Friday when we hang out?”
“Ooh, let's go to the Sweet Spot!”
The crickets have been silenced.
___
Joanie McCormack, 16, is a junior at Legacy High School. She enjoys art, writing and all things music. Joanie is the daughter of Jesse and Cheryl McCormack, who are members of Capital Electric Cooperative.
