The Launch Pad Teen Center

The Mission of The Launch Pad Teen Center is to incite teen confidence and empowerment through innovative community education and engagement. The Launch Pad facilitates this by providing teens in Yavapai County with educational and social opportunities that encourage learning, active community involvement, and the development of skills to become successful, empowered, contributing members of society.We center youth voice and agency in all aspects of programs and decision making, youth serve on our Board of Directors and take on leadership roles. Programs are carefully planned by staff and teens, with adolescent brain development, and youth interests and needs in mind. TLP is a place “by teens, for teens”. Our core programs include:

· Out-of-School Drop-in clubs and programs.

· Academic Mentoring and Tutoring.

· Artreprenuership, coordinated in partnership with the Prescott Downtown Partnership, which helps teens learn about becoming a professional artist. Each participant receives materials for their artwork, studio  space and guidance on how to make money pursuing their passion. Youth then sell their artwork in Prescott's Largest Art Fair, the Rodeo Days Fine Arts & Crafts Show

· Circle Mentoring promotes fundamental positive change in the lives of teens, their families, and the community by harnessing the power of group mentoring and providing support and encouragement to young people as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood.

· Youth Health and Wellness Education.

· one.n.ten at TLP, a partnership with one.n.ten, a Phoenix based 501(c)(3) dedicated to serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth, brings meaningful programs to LGBTQ+ teens in the Quad City Area.

· Outdoor Adventure Programs: “WILD”, engages youth in hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, outdoor cooking, and more. “WILD” features 5-day overnight adventure trips hosted over fall and spring breaks, a summer camp and twice monthly Saturday outdoor excursions.

· The Moon Café is a social enterprise where Prescott area youth gain work experience; empowers youth to define their strengths and potential; and helps them understand the intricacies of retail business operations. Participants receive 8-month, paid apprenticeships and leave our program with both service and management experience, as well as an understanding of social enterprise. The Moon Café provides youth with opportunities to build social capital and apply new skills, while highlighting youth as a community asset. As Prescott’s only youth social enterprise, the objective of The Moon Café is to demonstrate that youth are capable of achieving high caliber business standards with a significant social impact.

· Project Launch: Youth Workforce Development Program, where teens attend workshops about how to apply for and secure a job. The final capstone is a summer internship with a local business that is matched to teens on the basis of their career goals and strengths or an apprenticeship at The Moon Café

· Summer Camps are week-long day camps which vary in theme and have included: 1) Art Camp, an opportunity for youth to work with local artists, using a variety of mediums, all while having fun, making friends and developing artistic practices. 2) Band Lab, where participating youth form a band, learn to play and practice with an instrument, visit local music production studios and perform in a concert on the last day. 3) A four-day session of Project Launch, our youth workforce development program which includes all Project Launch training along with added field trips to local businesses and mock interviews with local business professionals.

· Our Teen Advisory Council (TAC) directly reflects TLP’s mission by developing and organizing educational campaigns and events around specific issues and challenges facing youth in Prescott and the surrounding areas. TAC is currently finishing up a three year campaign, funded by the Arizona Community Foundation. Through their "Better Together" campaign, TAC is working to bridge divides affecting our community and offer tools to facilitate meaningful conversations. This started small, with families at their own dinner tables and has expanded to include large community dinners and conversations.

· Our Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough (WEB)Conference was developed to fill a gap in the Quad City Area for empowerment programs targeting teenage girls. WEB is a 3-day leadership retreat. Our aim is to provide young women with the knowledge, community, and support they need to gain self-confidence, and develop their sense of self.