Many young people face extraordinary obstacles in pursuit of their aspirations. The Next Generation Center is designed to meet their special challenges and map out a route to success and stability.

Next Generation’s mission is to identify and attract young people who are in or aging out of foster care, or who have been arrested or homeless. These experiences often make it difficult for adolescents to graduate high school or find employment. The Next Generation staff takes a case management approach with every person who walks through the door with the intent of helping them define and achieve their goals.

Capable of more

Next Generation Center is more a community than it is a building or a collection of programs. Especially given some of the experiences that participants have faced, they appreciate having a place to shoot a game of pool or make music. Creating this environment makes it more effective for introducing these men and women to new ideas and challenging them to meet goals.

As staff get to know participants, they are able to guide them into the right programs, which include:

• Next Generation Caterers, a catering company with dozens of clients that employs youth participants who have become skilled in all aspects of healthy food preparation and who participate in every facet of the business. All youth who complete the pre-catering job training program are eligible to receive their Serve Safe certification.
• High school equivalency degree programs
• Internships and job readiness
• Visual, creative, and multimedia arts activities
• Legal counseling
• Housing assistance

Next Generation Center is the secondary home that so many young people need during their challenging adolescent years. It’s a place where plans take shape and change happens.