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Restoring the largest and most desolate park in the northern part of the Slavic Village neighborhood has focused the first organizing drive of Teen Neighborhood Leaders (TNL), Slavic Village Development's new youth leadership and organizing program.

In early spring, TNL, the only youth organizing group in Cleveland, OH, decided it was time to restore local area Barkwill Park for the use of local youth. The first few months of the campaign has brought a mix of victories and new challenges.

Barkwill Park has been an eyesore for many years and has gone through a series of disasters in the past few decades. Over 25 years ago, an elementary school stood where the unpopulated park now sits. Over sixty percent of the park is covered in concrete, rather than sand, woodchips or any other park safety surface.

Over 10 years ago, arsonists burnt down the only jungle-gym equipment left in the park. Five years ago, the City of Cleveland Parks Department stated that the basketball hoops brought the "wrong crowd and encouraged fights and roughhousing." They removed the basketball hoops five years ago.

Up until early August, the park was made up of only one slide, one teeter-totter ride for kids under five, four horseshoe pits (without the stakes and horseshoes), tennis courts (without nets), and swings set on concrete. "It just was not any fun to play in," said TNL leader Samantha Vene.

The teens made Barkwill Park their top priority and instantly began making waves. They invited Councilman Frank Jackson and the adult leaders of the already existing Barkwill Park Committee to a May meeting. At the meeting, Jackson declined to help the teens make any improvements at Barkwill Park.

But the leaders of TNL decided to continue to put the pressure on Jackson and met with him on a monthly basis.

TNL leaders also devised a "Barkwill Park Improvement Plan" that included phase projects for the park. Their first victory came when new backboards and hoops were erected on the empty basketball poles in August. And for the first time in over five years, the youth of North Broadway have a reason to come to the park. Neighborhood youth are at the park everyday playing basketball on the new hoops.

But while Jackson has promised to allocate his park ward dollars towards "interim park improvements" in 2002, he has only committed to working towards a total renovation of the park by 2005. TNL members and the other youth refuse to wait that long.

"We'll be in college by then and that isn't fair. We deserve a better park now," said Trishia Vene, secretary of TNL.

The teens are working with Slavic Village Development and Parkworks, a local non-profit dedicated to improving Cleveland parks and school playgrounds, in order to see their total renovation happen within the next year.

The teens are currently planning a community-wide meeting for October to assess the needs of Barkwill Park for both the youth and the adults of North Broadway. This information will be included into a grant proposal with Parkworks to receive moneys to design a new Barkwill Park for 2002.

"We are a small group with a big goal," said Senor Felder, a TNL leader, "and we're not finished yet. We have more to do to improve our community."