Jordan Davis is a freshman at Delaware State University, the valedictorian of Dover High School’s class of 2025 and a lifelong resident of Dover.
When you leave your house, the destination shouldn’t always be a store. Living in the capital of the First State is great if you’re ready to settle down and retire, but if you are entering your teen years, you begin to realize that there isn’t much for you to do. Though it is cool to check out the newest tech at Best Buy or the new arts and crafts at Hobby Lobby, there are times when you want to go somewhere to hang out with friends. But then, you remember: We live in Dover. Wanna see a movie? We have to travel 30 minutes, to Milford or Middletown. Wanna go to the mall? There’s not much there, and a better one is about an hour away. How about bowling or hanging out at the skating rink on a Friday night? Those locations are closer to Magnolia and Camden, respectively, but still include Dover in their names. We have an issue that’s been looming around our city, and it’s about time it comes to the light.
As someone who has lived in Dover his entire life, there has always been a part of me that has had a sense of “there isn’t much for me to do here.” To this day, whenever my friends and I want to hang out, we’re stuck with the same options: Go skating or bowling, or go out to eat. We, as an age group, need more activities in the heart of Dover.
What hurts us is that we are talked about by the community and leaders in Dover. They complain about the behavior and activity of young people and the parties thrown but will not offer any solutions to our problem. All we want are opportunities to socialize and to be the teens/young adults we are, but once again, we are a state for retirement, not for the youth.
I can think back to when I was in fifth grade at William Henry Middle School, completing a test for the Gifted and Talented Education program there. After all the reading and math problems were done, we had to complete a writing prompt of our choice. While I can’t remember the prompt I chose, I recall writing about the Dover Mall, and I still believe in the idea today. One potential solution I had and have discussed with others is to begin with the mall. When you look at the Christiana Mall, you see numerous stores and restaurants around it. I believe that we have the vehicle, that being the Dover Mall, to attract so many other businesses and activities. Eventually, we can open up the movie theater again, and from there, the sky is the limit.
Some of us have heard the phrase, “Idle time is the devil’s playground.” The idle time that some of us have is channeled toward negative activities that not only affect us but the surrounding area and community. Creating some new opportunities not only benefits us but has a lasting impact that goes beyond the main issue at hand.
All it takes is for those with the power to make decisions to step up and tackle the issues plaguing our community. All it takes is for someone to pay attention to our wants and needs. All it takes is for someone to take time to listen to us. Will you be the one to create the change that we need?
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
