Who is Free Fall?

Provides students access to basic services such as snacks, drinks, bathrooms, hang out space, media equipment, parts and repair, and most importantly positive role models and caring adult volunteers. The goal is to have the Energy Center open and available to students after school and Saturday afternoons.

Our park hosts events to allow students the opportunity to develop and showcase their skills in front of parents and other supporters. We provide proper equipment, free food, drinks, prizes, and skate, bike, scooter, and basketball competitions.

Students receive additional mentoring and development opportunities in various skills such as communication, team building, event planning, leadership, photography, graphic design, video production, food prep, etc.

The foundation of Free Fall Action Sports is to establish and maintain a positive, safe community for students in Quakertown, PA, and surrounding areas. Our approach to helping at-risk youth comes from studies and faith.

British journalist Johann Hari, in their famous Ted Talk called “Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong,” states the opposite of addiction is connection. At Free Fall, we encourage a positive environment to foster peer-to-peer connections so students can find a place to belong. In addition, we also staff adults who care about the well-being of Quakertown and the youth, which encourages students to become and believe they have something to contribute to society on and off the park.

All of our programming centers around the values of relationships, student development, and faith. These three core values contribute to reducing or deterring substance use. Specifically, we aim to support at-risk youth in Quakertown. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency considers 39% of Quakertown Community School District teenagers “at-risk” (p.95, 2021 Pennsylvania Youth Survey). Not only this, but according to American Addiction Centers, it is estimated that 1 and 7 young adults have a substance use disorder, and 1 in 13 young adults have an illicit drug disorder (Young Adult Addiction Statistics). Recognizing the high proportions of our audience engaging in risky behaviors, we attempt to approach students with the noticed, named, and known philosophy. Our staff and volunteers are encouraged to acknowledge everyone on campus, learn their names and stories, and develop meaningful relationships with them. In addition, we provide programming surrounding their interests, as well as connections to spirituality, mental health, and physical activity, to help prevent and protect students from furthering or starting disordered behavior.

According to the short novel Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation, studies show that the more assets a student has with caring adults, the more their feelings of belonging correlate. This is often a direct deterrent to substance use. Why? “35% of young people ages 13-25 say that they have no one to turn to when stressed” (Springtide 2020), the primary age group we cater to. We are aware of how damaging isolation can be to humans. We, as a community center, are set on creating healthy bonds. We want students to have somewhere or someone to turn to in their time of need. We have adult mentors who care for and are trained to assist people in need. Data shows that the more trusted adults the students are connected to, the less stressed and overwhelmed they feel (Springtide 2020). By developing strong bonds with students and letting them know we are interested in their lives, they know we are also there for them in rough times. This way, they have someone to come to in their time of need.

We offer programs and events, like Summer Camp, competitions, and concerts, to build on the relational connections while giving students something to work towards and a reason to practice their skills. This provides direction to a student and is a deterrent to substance use. Students at the skatepark may turn down the use of drugs because they are passionate about other hobbies and activities. Our event Programs provide a reason for students to say no to substances and yes to something positive while also fortifying the relational connection.

Regarding faith, The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), or a resource-based study to help adults understand preventative programming for youth, highlights the importance of students’ having religion in their lives as a protective barrier to delinquent behavior. Under the religiosity section, it states, “Young people who regularly attend religious services are less likely to engage in problem behavior.” (PAYS 2023, p94) What the data is saying is religion adds another protective factor to help deter students from risky behaviors such as engagement in drugs, alcohol, anti-social behavior, etc. As part of our programming, but not required, we offer students the opportunity to connect with adult mentors about faith. In our Summer Camp, we include a faith pep talk after lunch to introduce students to the value of faith in life and what it could look like to have a relationship with Jesus.