Gum Springs Community Center Youth & Teen Programs
Gum Springs Community Center, 8100 Fordson Rd, Alexandria, VA 22306
About
Gum Springs Community Center Youth & Teen Programs include an Afterschool Youth & Teen Program for students in grades 1–12, along with activities such as intramural sports, Homework Club, Fashion Club, Creative Arts, S.T.E.M., Chess Club, and a Cooking & Etiquette Club. The program also offers a Community Garden, Youth Employment Opportunities, Social-Emotional Learning, and access to Technology Access and a Computer Lab. Participants can use the Game Room and Gymnasium and take part in activities such as billiards, table tennis, pickleball, cards, board games, bingo, art classes including acrylic and watercolor painting and crafts, and daily age-appropriate fitness classes such as line dancing, yoga, strength training, and aerobics.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Teen program hours Monday–Friday, 2–6 p.m.; community center hours Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–9:45 p.m., and Saturday, 1–9:45 p.m.
Gum Springs Community Center Youth & Teen Programs operate in a facility that includes the Gum Springs Museum & Cultural Center, a multi-purpose room, a community garden, a computer lab, a fitness center, a music studio, a game room, and a gymnasium. The center also offers Therapeutic Recreation Services Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which promote inclusion and access to a sensory space at Gum Springs, and it works with NCS Culture, Recreation, and Community Connections staff and an inclusion specialist to provide services and programs for individuals of all abilities. NCS Community Centers, including this one, serve as warming and cooling centers during extreme weather events, and visitors using the center for warming or cooling services do not have access to programming or classes unless they are current registered members.
Additional programs at the center include an Adult Program for ages 18 and older, personal and professional development workshops, workforce development workshops, basic technology trainings, computer and smart device classes, health and wellness social clubs, a knitting and crochet group, gardening, and trips of necessities. The mission of the Gum Springs Senior Center is to engage with older adults in the community and provide a supportive environment that encourages them to be active physically and mentally. Gum Springs is the oldest African American community in Fairfax County, having been officially established in 1833, and the community center houses the Gum Springs Museum & Cultural Center. The division director is Chris Scales.
Last updated July 18, 2026.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Teen program hours Monday–Friday, 2–6 p.m.; community center hours Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–9:45 p.m., and Saturday, 1–9:45 p.m.
Gum Springs Community Center Youth & Teen Programs operate in a facility that includes the Gum Springs Museum & Cultural Center, a multi-purpose room, a community garden, a computer lab, a fitness center, a music studio, a game room, and a gymnasium. The center also offers Therapeutic Recreation Services Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which promote inclusion and access to a sensory space at Gum Springs, and it works with NCS Culture, Recreation, and Community Connections staff and an inclusion specialist to provide services and programs for individuals of all abilities. NCS Community Centers, including this one, serve as warming and cooling centers during extreme weather events, and visitors using the center for warming or cooling services do not have access to programming or classes unless they are current registered members.
Additional programs at the center include an Adult Program for ages 18 and older, personal and professional development workshops, workforce development workshops, basic technology trainings, computer and smart device classes, health and wellness social clubs, a knitting and crochet group, gardening, and trips of necessities. The mission of the Gum Springs Senior Center is to engage with older adults in the community and provide a supportive environment that encourages them to be active physically and mentally. Gum Springs is the oldest African American community in Fairfax County, having been officially established in 1833, and the community center houses the Gum Springs Museum & Cultural Center. The division director is Chris Scales.
Last updated July 18, 2026.
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