In a world filled with uncertainty and hardship, our young people are often deprived of the opportunity to feel unconditionally accepted and recognize the value of their voices. To address these concerns within Yavapai County, launch pad was established as an educational institution not only for teens, but more importantly, by teens.

Photo credit: The Launch Pad Teen Center

At The Launch Pad (TLP), teens are given the opportunity to reach their full potential with the full support of caring adults. TLP not only provides youth with extracurricular programs and life skills, but also enables teens to share ideas and stories in an environment where they can recognize their immense worth and potential.

Throughout the year, teens have the opportunity to join meaningful clubs and programs that are relevant to their lives. In addition to numerous weekly clubs, TLP hosts a variety of fun summer camps and workshops, including Art Camp, Adventure Camp, Game for Days, and Band Lab, where teens can share their passion. You can delve deeper into your interests with your friends.

Summer is also the perfect time to learn key skills such as time management and interviewing, and to practice employee readiness: project launches. Additionally, all of TLP’s programs and events, especially the annual Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough Conference (WEB), Boys to Men, One-n-Ten, and Q Prom, embrace youth diversity. TLP ensures that every teenager has the opportunity to find and express themselves as valued members and leaders of their community.

To teens dedicated to making change within Yavapai County, the Teen Advisory Council (TAC) provides the resources they need to take action to address perceived issues within their communities. We offer a unique space that provides young people with Over the years, her teens at TAC have led numerous projects aimed at addressing issues affecting youth in the community. Over the past year, these teens have been working on their current project, Better Together, to create a guidebook on public debate.

The focus of this guidebook is on mending the schisms that were highlighted during the initial investigative process of the Better Together campaign. Written by her teens at TAC, the guidebook gives a voice to the region’s youth for a more cohesive town, while citing the surprising data from the Better Together survey.

This guidebook is designed to help small groups, families, and larger communities put their differences aside and connect on a deeper, more human level while practicing conversational skills while dining together. It’s meant to be an inspirational tool.

As the teens noted in their guidebook, “We all care deeply about the Prescott community, but as we continue to witness the horrific conflicts between our citizens, we all wish We realize that our version of Prescott is not upheld…we believe so.”By learning how to participate in public debate, we begin to close some of the cracks that threaten to pull us apart. can do.

Photo credit: The Launch Pad Teen Center

The goal of our guidebook is to provide a set of communication techniques that enable people to voice their opinions in a way that encourages compassionate conversation and encourages empathy in an environment conducive to both understanding and growth. is. By outlining steps to foster conversations and connections around food and family, we hope that by raising awareness about topics that divide communities, we can be prepared to safely tackle difficult conversations in a variety of situations. … and hopefully Prescott will eventually become home for everyone. “

Today, TAC is tapping into the wisdom of youth and reaching out to families interested in promoting group dinners using guidebooks. TAC members actively promote the Better Together campaign while continuing to engage with the entire Prescott community.

By volunteering through civic engagement projects such as Prescott’s annual Earth Day Celebration and Chalk It Up! The festival gives teens an opportunity to demonstrate reciprocity, and in return contribute to the community with the ultimate vision of fostering a sense of solidarity, thereby expressing The Launch Pad’s larger goals. increase.

As an entire new generation faces current and ever-evolving challenges, the future of our communities, our counties and our world is being shaped in this very moment. With the support of organizations like TLP, teens are given the opportunity to express themselves and tackle the complex issues of the modern world.

Teens’ greatest struggle isn’t finding ways to use their voices, it’s realizing they have them. At Launch Pad, teens are encouraged to not only find their voice, but tap into it. By doing so, you can make a tangible difference in your own life and the lives of many others.

For more information on Launch Pad Teen Center, please visit: https://thelaunchpadteencenter.org/.

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