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United Way of Northern Arizona — Developing a Teen Center Solution in Holbrook

by Community Contributor • November 7, 2024 • Comments Off

Last year, United Way of Northern Arizona was a partner in a project to help teens in Navajo County survey their peers about current mental health issues facing youth in northeast Arizona.

One of the items to emerge from that survey was that teens in the area were eager for a space to call their own – a teen center.

Now Grow Arizona Workforce Network is pursuing a plan that would establish a facility to not only provide a safe and supportive environment for teens, but to develop the region’s future workforce.

From the desk of:

Liz Archuleta

President & CEO

Grow Arizona, which is led by Holbrook Mayor Kathleen Smith and Linda Kor, managing editor of the local newspaper, have already identified a site for the center, a building on West Hopi Street. Formerly a restaurant and now an e-commerce business, the building is being donated by Brian Gardner, the mayor’s brother.

Through the teen center, Grow Arizona aims to foster positive youth development, encourage healthy behaviors, build community connections, and offer a space where young people can feel valued and empowered. The center would offer a variety of programs ranging from academic support and recreational activities to leadership opportunities and mentorships.

But refurbishing the building into a teen center is only one half of Grow Arizona’s plans for the site. They also want to build an adjacent two-story Entrepreneur Center that would house a resale shop, an artist consignment shop, and two hospitality training vacation rental units.

“Inside the teen center there will be creative spaces, places for them to come in and chill out and discover something that they might want to turn into a product,” said Linda. “Once they develop a product, they can move it into the retail center.”

The retail space, which would be called The Bijou, would also teach teens the skills needed to curate and showcase local artwork and products.

Meanwhile, the two vacation units upstairs from the consignment shop will be a practical platform for learning hospitality skills such as guest relations, property management, and maintenance. Overall, the center aims to equip young adults with essential skills and experiences that promote personal growth and career readiness in diverse fields.

Northeast youth will not be the only ones to benefit from this project, Kathleen said.

“It’s also good for the city of Holbrook because it is upscaling a business and improving a lot in the downtown area,” she said.

UWNA is working with Grow Arizona to identify possible funding sources for this plan, which will require about $160,000 to refurbish the existing building for the teen center and close to $1 million for the new Entrepreneur Center and vacation units.

The investment will pay back dividends in healthier teens and a stronger future workforce.

“This won’t be a job center, waiting for someone to come to us for help,” Kathleen said. “This will be a place where we are building kids up and helping them create networks and options for themselves.”

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Help Lead the Way for our youth in Navajo, Apache, and Coconino counties by making a donation today to the United Way of Northern Arizona’s annual campaign.

United Way of Northern Arizona brings people together to address the big issues to create environments where everyone can thrive. We have our finger on the pulse of what is happening in northern Arizona, meaning we can respond quickly as issues and opportunities arise.

We bundle the donations we receive and invest them in proven local programs, so your money stays local and impacts youth and families in your community.

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