Cathy MacMullin is one of the co-founders of one of the safe places for teens in the city of Malden. MacMullin has been working as the coordinator of the Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC) for twelve years but has been involved in the development of MTEC since 2010. MacMullin was a part of a team of concerned citizens. This group of citizens took the problem into their own hands. This eventually led to the development of MTEC.
This group of citizens wanted to face and tackle the problem of teens on the street. “We wanted to find a place for kids to get off the street and have a place to go […] so we got a group of concerned citizens together and we went to the mayor and we told him what we wanted,” MacMullin expressed.
The MTEC believes there is always room for improvement which makes MTEC an atmosphere where change is always welcomed and appreciated. MTEC’s caring staff are constantly looking for new ways to provide a better and safer place for teens to go to. “I think there's always improvements, and it's all driven by whatever the teens tell us. So the improvements are driven by the teens,” MacMullin added.
MTEC strives to cater to teens by even having young adults work there. Not only does it allow young adults to develop work experience but it even helps teens who attend MTEC to feel more at ease. “I mean, it's kind of like run by like teens because most of the workers are teens themselves so I think it's like a place that you can be comfortable with others,” Sofia Evoras expressed. Evoras is a student who attends MHS and has been going to MTEC for a month.
MacMullin is a person who cares about her community and strives to make it better every single day. “She's super passionate about Malden, I always say, if every city or town had somebody who cared about the city, as much as Cathy cares about Malden every city would be better off,” stated Jake Mullin-Bernstein, a worker who has been working alongside MacMullin for five years.
MTEC harbors and helps the growth of teens, it even allows teens to experience new things and develop different skills. “We want kids to learn new skills but when we do those trips, we also want them to maybe get outside their comfort zone and that's when they grow so I think that's what the benefit of having programs like this,” Mullin-Bernstein added.
Without MacMullin’s influence and help, the city of Malden would not look the way it does now. Teens would not have a safe and welcoming place to go to after school, but due to MacMullin being an inspirational and vital part of the community of Malden, every teen has the opportunity to join a welcoming safe space.
