Middle Earth was created in direct response to the expressed needs of youth at risk. It began as drop-in center for youth in Somerville in 1972 (in Bound Brook in 1982), which provided positive alternatives to “hanging out” on the streets.
Services included recreation (in-house and in the community), community service, decision-making skills, informal counseling, information and referral, advocacy, and street work. Although the underlying concept of MIDDLE EARTH remains the same, the agency has greatly expanded its scope of services to youth over the years as needs have been identified.
Our mission is to provide individuals, primarily youth, with prevention, intervention and crisis services to help them to develop into responsible and productive members of the community. We seek to do this by acting advocates for our community’s youth, working collaboratively with other community agencies to link youth to appropriate services, involving youth in various volunteer opportunities, providing positive role modeling and teaching values, life skills education, and respect for self and other in order to develop into responsible members of the community, and providing positive alternatives to delinquent behavior.