A new space in Paterson is giving residents a place to stay active, learn new skills and connect with their community.

The new fitness and boxing space at the Christopher Hope Community Center officially opened Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The space features new boxing and fitness equipment, performance flooring and storage. It’s open to Paterson residents and will host a variety of community programming.

The facility is also home to the Paterson Police Department’s youth boxing program, where community resource officers train young people through boxing and fitness.

Officer Robert Guzman says the program gives police a chance to build relationships with young people outside of traditional law enforcement settings.

“Our goal is for these kids to see, hey, you know what? The cops are good people. We’re normal people like everybody else. And we want to bridge that gap,” Guzman said.

The new facility is a major upgrade for the youth boxing program, which previously trained in a library in South Paterson with limited equipment.

The project was funded by WellPoint and completed with support from the Impact Fitness Foundation.

About 40 to 50 volunteers helped transform the space ahead of the opening, working on projects including painting, installing flooring and assembling equipment.

The youth boxing program is free for Paterson children ages 10 to 17, with classes held three times a week.

Mayor Andre Sayegh says the goal is to give young people a safe place to stay active, develop healthy habits and learn skills they can carry beyond the gym.

"We can't lose our youth providing them with somewhere safe from the streets and somewhere safe from your screens, because our teenagers are becoming screen agers," Sayegh said. "They're addicted to the devices. We want them to get addicted to the gym."