Youth Center Creates Space for Mental Wellness

By Doyal D'Angelo Bolin

The harsh reality of being a teenager today comes with pressures from multiple directions - school, home life, peers, and the everpresence of social media. At The Launch Pad Teen Center in Prescott, founder and director Courtney Osterfelt has created an environment where teens from all backgrounds can find support, develop leadership skills, and address mental health challenges.

Now in its eleventh year, The Launch Pad provides out-of-school programming for middle and high school students, creating what Osterfelt calls "a giant bucket full of really amazing things" with something for everyone. What makes The Launch Pad unique is its commitment to being truly youth-driven, as half of its board of directors consists of teenagers who also co-lead programs alongside adults.

"We have all types of kids," Osterfelt said. "It's not just at-risk youth. It's not just youth who are struggling in school. It's truly all types of kids. And that, I think, is wonderful, because they can all learn from each other."

This diversity creates a rich environment where teens see beyond the typical social divisions found in schools. A student in advanced placement classes might connect with peers from different academic tracks around shared experiences. This peer-to-peer connection forms the backbone of The Launch Pad's approach to mental wellness.

With support from the Burton Family Foundation, The Launch Pad hired Ainsley, a mental wellness coordinator who tracks individual progress and connects teens with additional resources when needed. This has strengthened partnerships with local mental health services like Southwest Behavioral Services and Polara, creating a network of support for teens in need.

The Launch Pad's mental wellness programming takes creative approaches to help teens process emotions and build coping skills. During "Rampage Wellness," teens don protective gear to smash old plates and electronics after a discussion about pent-up emotions and letting go—an activity that proved wildly popular with students. 

Another cornerstone of their programming is "Circles," where groups of 6-15 teens gather to discuss mental health topics in a judgment-free zone, with minimal adult intervention. What started as a challenging sell to teens has grown so popular that they've added two additional circles to accommodate demand.

"It's great to see teens talk about their mental health in a way that's not stigmatized," Osterfelt said. 

The Launch Pad also incorporates art programs connected to mental health themes. In one workshop, teens decorated personal mental wellness kits with fidget toys, journals, and lavender, which serve as portable resources they could access whenever needed. The center also welcomes therapy dogs twice weekly, which helps teens manage difficult days. Even their annual web conference for teenage girls includes a workshop on grief, and not just from death or loss, but "ambiguous grief" that appears in everyday disappointments like not making a sports team or experiencing friendship changes. The workshop filled up with a waitlist, revealing teens' hunger for these conversations.

The Launch Pad also addresses the complicated relationship between teens and technology. Their mandatory 30-minute "unplugged time" when teens first arrive is initially met with resistance but often leads to deeper engagement with activities and peers. Their biannual river trips, where teens spend five days without devices, have produced profound reflections from participants about how different their brains feel away from screens.

Beyond programming, The Launch Pad's most significant impact may be in how it develops teen leadership. By finding what drives each young person, whether that be music, art, or organizing logistics, staff help teens step into leadership roles they might never have considered.

"Even the teens who are quiet and afraid to step into a leadership role, if we can find the thing that drives them," Osterfelt said. "We kind of pull on that thread and work them through these steps of getting them into a youth leadership role."

This approach creates a sustainable cycle as graduating seniors pass their knowledge to younger students, ensuring continuity while adapting to changing interests. Teens discover their own leadership styles, whether they're outspoken "alphas" or detail-oriented "behind-the-scenes" leaders.

These moments of mutual appreciation demonstrate the power of The Launch Pad's approach, creating spaces where teens feel seen, supported, and capable of growth.

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You can learn more about The Launch Pad Teen Center here.