Mission & History

The United Teen Equality Center (UTEC), founded in 1999 and based in Lowell, was the result of an organizing movement driven by young people to develop their own teen center in response to gang violence.

Today, nationally recognized as a model youth development agency, our mission and promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of Lowell’s most disconnected youth to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. The following visual timeline highlights some of the notable events and milestones since our establishment.