Story and Photos by By Hilary Nichols

We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.

Programming here has grown and expanded in so many directions it is difficult to detail all the offerings they provide. Over their 25 years, the organization has evolved into a transformative hub of arts and leadership training that supports the growth and development of young people in an environment of their own making where they can authentically belong and thrive.

It is clear there is a passionate leadership team at the Neutral Zone. I spoke with Executive Director Lori Roddy to learn more about the energy that ignites this space. Roddy interned at the Neutral Zone in 2003 as part of her University of Michigan School of Social Work degree and stepped into a program director position after graduation. Her unwavering commitment, combined with her capacity to continually adapt and innovate, perfectly reflects the organization’s ethos. “It is the voices and hearts of teens that created this space,” she shared emphasizing the fundamental role of the young leaders in shaping all of Neutral Zone’s offerings.

The initial concept behind the Neutral Zone was born from the desire of local youth and adult community members to create a safe under-age venue for weekend events. “The story goes, young people really needed a space,” said Lisa Dengiz, the initial founder of Neutral Zone. Her daughter, Lori, wrote the initial grant. The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Youth Council granted $7000 in 1998. “That’s not a lot,” Dengiz laughed. “It began as a ‘teen center without walls’ along with library events but there was a need for a physical space to really empower the youth voice. And the Neutral Zone was really carving that out in the early years. I think that is a really important story.”

“At first people wanted to define this space, thinking this was for disadvantaged youth, or struggling kids, or the gifted students,” Dengiz shared. “But we were clear that this place was for all sorts of kids, from every description and every interest.” Initially the site was called the Teen Center of Ann Arbor. “The teens here wanted a place away from their school’s cliques and clubs. So, they renamed it the Neutral Zone,” John Weiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives said. “This became a place for all the kids from all sides of town to claim as their own.” The calendar is now full weekdays and weekends with events and weekly classes led in the model of youth/adult partnership that is at the crux of the Neutral Zone’s revised mission statement.

When the necessity for an update to their 2006 mission statement became clear, they gathered teens, staff, and advisors. Roddy shared, “Youth today seek a space where they can authentically show up as themselves in a community that affirms their power. And, they need support and resources to navigate the structures and systems that too often serve as barriers.” After several rounds of conversation, the Neutral Zone launched their modern mission statement that is reflective of today’s youth. “Neutral Zone is a transformative, youth-driven community where youth embrace their power, ignite their creativity, and launch their future to build equity, justice, and collective liberation.”

When asked what he is most proud of, Weiss was swift to redirect the question. What excites him “is that the Neutral Zone is driven by young people’s interests, ideas, and passions.” The adults here cast themselves as supports—not drivers. “We create a space to allow their [kids’] brilliant minds to matter and see what they come up with and what they are interested in—that is what excites me.” Weiss continued, “And that they invite old people like me to share that with. I think there aren’t enough adults in their worlds that spend the time to find out what young people are interested in and to offer the scaffolding to let them do what they can competently do. They just need adult partnership to resource their visions.”

These teens aren’t surprised by the level of respect they are afforded here. Weiss said, “That’s a testament to the space created here that is so welcoming in small and big ways. That is just the vibe of The Neutral Zone, and it is what they have come to expect here.”

Sixteen-year-old August Peltier arrived with his electric guitar on his shoulder when he visited the Neutral Zone for the first time. “It was awesome,” he reported of his first visit to the Little Jams program at the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone partners with Little Bands Music School for Little Jams that puts young musicians of all levels together to jam. “I got there a little early, and it was a very welcoming community. I just chilled out and ate the food they had for everyone.”

The Neutral Zone serves warm meals and snack items throughout the day in their open kitchen zone. The center understands that teens can eat. Providing meals has been one of their provisions since the beginning. “We understand that some families struggle to keep up with these growing appetites. If we can soften that need—even a little—we know we are providing a service that reaches not just the teens but the community that supports them too. Our food budget is written into our grants. It is that important,” said Roddy.

“Food is a cultural focal point. When we get to feed our community, and speak to them, and hear about their days, they feel cared for and they feel seen,” Daniel Bigham, a program director at Neutral Zone elaborated. Bigham was a teen participant since their humble first headquarters on Main Street competing with their award-winning Volume Youth Poetry Project. He returned as a volunteer before becoming a program director in 2016. “There is a spiritual and emotional element to connecting through food. And there is a more practical purpose.” The Neutral Zone opens at 2:30 p.m. “After a full day at school, these young people arrive a little hangry. Food just adds to the morale.”

“After waffles and sausages, we had a little circle up thing where we said our names and pronouns and talked about stuff,” continued Peltier. “There were prompts to get everyone to be open and share.”

Neutral Zones programming may be subtle, but it is pervasive. Getting young people to share their voices is not always easy, but that’s the point. Every effort is layered with impact. Their Youth Driven Spaces (YDS) approach is weaved into their programming throughout. The Neutral Zone website states, “YDS nurtures youth-adult partnerships through dynamic practices for youth and their adult allies as they build cultures to amplify and revere youth voice and decision making, tapping into teens’ intrinsic motivation, and supporting young people’s developmental needs to foster genuine partnerships between youth and adults.”

The youth director of “Little Jams,” Esh Schaden said, “Anyone is welcome. They can play really well or be brand new and just pick up the tambourine or drums. Just come play. It will be fun,” Esh affirmed. At the Neutral Zones annual fundraiser “NZ Engage” held in November, teens hosted their own tables to pitch their programs at this gala event. Local politicians, supporters, parents, and community members enjoyed food, drink, speeches, and entertainment while being encouraged to visit each pitch table. Nine teams of teen artists, poets, musicians, and activists made their impassioned proposals. Esh made a plea toward funding their musical instrument drive. “We need working gear and access,” Esh informed the crowd. “We want to spend a lot more time making music, not repairing the instruments. Our goal is to create a community in Ann Arbor where teens from all over can come and play music together because there are not enough free places for teens to experience themselves as musicians.”

Elijah Lawler found the Neutral Zone a few years ago. As part of the Community High School jazz band, he was looking for a place to practice. “I saw that the Zone is really big on music. So, I decided to come down here and try to perfect my craft.” Lawler is a high school percussionist playing at a professional level having joined the stage with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and at the Ark. “It takes a lot of time, so I had to sit in there and explore, to explore my creativity. I have a lot of great memories in the Studio. It is a really great experience. I don’t take this welcome lightly. I love coming around here all the time.”

Neutral Zone’s music production department is deep, with dj instruction, beat productions, podcasting, and open studio times. Their teaches participants audio engineering skills where they can discover and sign fellow teen musicians then record, promote, and sell their original music.

“The new podcasting project is my baby,” beamed Dani Darling from inside a state-of-the-art broadcasting booth. Darling is the Program Coordinator, and Curator of the Artist in Residence program at the Neutral Zone. “We are amplifying the importance of youth voices. Here they get to present what is important to them through music, podcasting, spoken word, sharing their opinions, and expressing what they are thinking about to a greater audience.” For their October show they needed haunting special effects. “We wanted them to access, edit, and add in their own special effect sound clips, so they have all the skills from soup to nuts.”

Teens book 15-minute time slots in the recording booth. “We ask what they have in mind,” Dani Darling explained. “When they aren’t quite ready to go straight into the booth, we let them work with Kyler Wilkins first. He is an incredible artist.” Wilkins, a successful beat maker and performing musician, is on the Neutral Zone staff (See the feature on Wilkins on page 12). He offers vocal technique to prepare the artists to fine-tune their pieces. Darling’s face lit up with a huge smile. “We prepare the teens for a professional sound studio experience., letting them know what to ask for, what to say, the proper verbiage, and what is expected of them. We are teaching them how to studio.”

The programming has continued to branch out and fine tune to meet the specific needs and wishes of their youth community. “What really inspired me about this group of teens are their innovations,” Program Director Hananiah Wiggins told me. “The Riot youth team realized they have a lot of neurodivergent youth that want to join in, but they are not comfortable in such a loud and over stimulating space. So, the team pitched the idea of building a muted space for them to be here but in the way that they want to be.” Their Riot Youth, LGBTQIA+ activism and social support group has grown exponentially under Wiggan’s care. This year they launched PRIDE ZONE as a collaboration with the Neutral Zone and Ozone House and together hosted their first Winter Ball in December. “It was their desire to have a quiet space at both the upcoming Winter Ball and the Pride Prom where they have a little space to go to—where they can still be a part of the event but on their own terms. This screams “inclusion,” Wiggins said. “I didn’t know that this was everything I ever wanted until I found it. Now four years later I am the program director, and I am going to be here for a long time.” Wiggins added, “These teens were asked to look at a problem and figure out a solution. And they did just that to serve their community.”

“I love working at Neutral Zone,” Trevor Stone, a program manager, shared. “Because it’s a value-aligned team that intentionality fosters an inclusive community. It’s really inspiring to see the youth blossom into leadership roles. Many teens leave the Neutral Zone with a bigger, more confident sense of self.”

The adult directors at Neutral Zone have a lot to be proud of, but their graduates say it best. “I wouldn’t be who I am without the zone,” stated Sterling Field, now a Senior Research Specialist at Michigan State. “The experiences I had there have been invaluable, and they are still with me. It is fun there for teens, but they don’t realize that they are building the skills that they will fall back on to build our careers, impact our communities, and make the world a better place.”

It’s hard to say enough about the power of this drop-in space that welcomes any teen who wants to walk through their doors to participate in any part of their programming at no cost. But additionally, they serve youth that aren’t free to walk in the building.

The Neutral Zone’s Juvenile Justice Program provides targeted arts programming for youth who are court-involved, promoting healing, connectivity, and skill-building. In the broader community their outreach, coaching, and consulting drives restorative practices with community organizations throughout the state of Michigan to create a ripple effect of positive youth engagement.

As if that is not enough, leadership assessed their desired impact and realized that youth doesn’t end when a student turns 18. “In this society we seem to think kids can just magically enter adulthood successfully without a support system,” Roddy said. The reach of Neutral Zone stretched again as they launched Future Corps. This job and technical training program for high school grads, aged 18 to 24, helps to identify pathways toward successful adulthood. Now four years into this 10-year intervention, it is clear that this program is crucial for young people in society.