— Leadership Programs —
youth taking action to make a better FUTURE
Leadership Menu: BOYS TO MEN WEB CONFERENCE TEEN ADVISORY COUNCIL
Leadership Menu:
BOYS TO MEN
WEB CONFERENCE
TEEN ADVISORY COUNCIL
Boys to Men Mentoring
Guiding Boys into Healthy Manhood
Boys to Men Mentoring at The Launch Pad is focused on building connection through curiosity, listening, sharing respect and providing support. Connection building happens through school based mentoring and through adventures.
School Based Mentoring
Every week, committed adult mentors gather in local schools and facilities and help boys build brotherhood, resilience, problem-solving skills, and emotional literacy. By sitting together in circles, the mentors help boys learn how to support each other on their journey, through struggles and celebrations. School based circles are proven to improve attendance, reduce discipline problems, and build stronger connections between boys and school. This part of our program is providing the fastest growing impact on our community. Our vision at Boys to Men Mentoring is to ensure that every middle and high school boy in Yavapai County has access to quality, in-school mentoring.
Adventures
♦ The Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW) is a powerful experience for both boys and men. It is an opportunity for boys to take on the challenge of doing men’s work: telling the truth, sharing how they feel, and learning how to support each other. It is a bonding experience that creates trust, respect and builds close connections between boys and the community of adult mentors who support them. This activity is available to boys aged 14-17 who have been consistently participating in school circles.
♦ Adventure Groups are an easy introduction to our program and our diverse, intergenerational village. These are short, fun activities that include outdoor adventure, community service, art, and athletics, all in a positive team of teens and adults. We maintain a year-round schedule of exciting, safe, and enriching activities. Because of the variety, boys keep coming back. Adventure Groups are not just recreational activities; each includes some guided discussion and opportunities to build meaning from the day. This mix of physical activity and social-emotional learning builds friendship, trust, and reinforces crucial life skills.
Do you know a young man who may be interested in participating?
Please reach out for more information about Boys to Men! joy@thelaunchpadteencenter.org
Could you be a mentor?
Please complete the Volunteer Application if you are interested in being a Mentor!
Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough Conference
April 28 – 30th 2023
A leadership retreat for teenage girls to explore, define, and achieve their goals!
Shout out to our WEB Conference 2023 Sponsors!
The Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough Conference, a project of The Launch Pad TeenCenter, is a three-day leadership retreat for teenage girls, ages 12-18.
Every spring, 70 teenage girls gather on Mingus Mountain for a fun weekend getaway. Our aim is to provide young women with the knowledge, community, and support that they need to gain self-confidence, develop their sense of self, and build community.
Since 2003, Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough (WEB) has been dedicated to organizing and hosting programs that provide young women the opportunity to participate in educational and experiential activities that address social justice issues particular to women. These programs provide innovative and supportive environments where teenage girls can explore, define and achieve their goals.
WEB was conceptualized in 2002 after a review of local statistics revealing that adolescent girls are facing challenges such as negative body-image, eating disorders, teenage pregnancy, sexual violence, and low self-esteem. WEB’s creation was based on the firm belief that in order for teens to articulate their boundaries and make healthy life choices, they must be supported, feel connected, and develop a strong sense of self-worth and commitment to their broader community.
In the fall of 2003, WEB launched its first 3-day retreat as the result of Prescott College graduate, Courtney Osterfelt’s Senior Project. In its second year, The WEB Conference doubled in size serving over 70 girls from 8 different high schools. Each year WEB grows stronger as more passionate and dedicated volunteers, community allies, and teen leaders join in the effort. The conference has continued for nine strong years now, exemplifying the crucial need for on-going, year-round programming.
Teen Advisory Council
Yavapai County is above the national average in teen suicide, teen dating violence, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy. TAC was created for youth to develop the skills to find resources and build solutions that address issues impacting youth on an individual and community-wide scale. The teens involved in TAC can gain leadership skills, establish new attitudes to help build effective relationships, develop their communication, learn public speaking, improve collaboration, and take initiative. TAC encourages teens to become more proactive in the world around them.
The Launch Pad’s Teen Advisory Council members choose topics they feel teens in the Tri-City area are most impacted by and create campaigns in order to positively impact their community. The 2019/2020 TAC Cohort’s campaign topics included: teenage community and bullying, teenage intimate relationships, teenage substance abuse/use, and teenage mental health.
Courtney Osterfelt, the Executive Director of The Launch Pad Teen Center says, “Teens are used to adults telling them all the things they should and should not do. While we believe adult guidance is crucial in teen’s lives, at The Launch Pad we also believe it is infinitely more powerful when teens learn to have the conversations themselves, leading to collective empowerment for a more positive future. TAC teaches teens to facilitate important conversations in their peer communities about issues that deeply impact their lives. We believe this is one of the most powerful ways to create positive changes in the lives of the teens we serve.”
TAC is comprised of twelve high schoolers from all over the Prescott Tri-City and surrounding areas. The TAC Cohort meets once a week throughout the year and is open to all high schoolers in Yavapai County!
The Launch Pad’s Teen Advisory Council is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year!
TAC members are accepted based on their desire to learn/build upon their leadership skills, get involved in their community, and create systemic change as demonstrated in their application.
Contact our TAC Coordinator Natalie for more information at natalie@thelaunchpadteencenter.org or tac@thelaunchpadteencenter.org or fill out an application today!
