Building the Valley: The Teen Spot after-school program helps Highlands students connect to community

Organizers of an after-school program for Highlands teens peg it as a home away from home.

But The Teen Spot, geared toward students in grades six through 12, is also a learning facility, life skills provider and extended family for many of the 70 participants.

“These are my kids,” said program coordinator Jaadyn Hughes, 22. “This program is a way to connect them to their community, but also to give them a safe space to let them know what they’re capable of.”

Launched in October 2022 by the Highlands Partnership Network, The Teen Spot is funded in part by the state Department of Human Services and other private grants, including $10,000 recently awarded from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

It started with a handful of teens who met in a small office in Harrison and moved temporarily to the social hall at Natrona Heights Presbyterian Church to accommodate a growing enrollment.

The program has now found its own home at a vacant storefront along Idaho Avenue, where Hughes and other staffers can host yoga, cooking classes, resume-building, mental health services, crafts and other activities.

“We outgrew two spaces in a year, and we are so grateful,” said Hughes, a 2019 Highlands graduate.

“I have big ideas, and I think we’ll outgrow this one, too.”

With activities for teens three days a week, The Teen Spot has become a place where kids can let their guard down, learn new skills, eat healthy dinners and put their dreams to work.

“We serve a lot of marginalized kids who might not get what they need elsewhere,” said Autumn Monaghan, Highlands Partnership Network’s steering committee chair.

Programs at The Teen Spot vary from lessons in personal finance, behavior and communications, to job skills and mental health. A field trip last week to the Citizens School of Nursing at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer focused on college and career readiness, which is a big push for the network’s program manager, Misty Chybrzynski Woody.

“We focus on what’s next for our kids,” Woody said. “We want them to see that they can go anywhere.”

Teen Spot staff members use vision boards to help kids picture their ideal life. If they want a sports car, Woody said, the team works to develop a top-down plan to achieve it.

“They need to get a job, but first they might need a driver’s license, but before that, they need to get a permit,” Woody said. “We teach them how to take each step and think about what they need to do to secure their dreams.”

It’s not all serious, though.

Hughes plans plenty of outings where the kids can let loose. In October, there was a spooky trip to The Shadows in Fawn and several chances to take in a Highlands Golden Rams football game.

She is coordinating with a local photographer to offer a free yearbook photo session for seniors and has launched the “Creative Series,” to show kids that ambition can reap rewards.

Heavenly Hope, an aspiring rapper out of Arnold, performed Nov. 8 in the new space and talked with the teens about her songwriting process and her drive to conquer the music industry.

“We put them in situations that they might not get to participate in otherwise,” Monaghan said.

“A lot of the kids see opportunities but don’t know how to get to them. That’s where we thrive.”

Highlands senior Ruth Jones volunteers at The Teen Spot. She said kids are finding a healthy, safe way to achieve their goals and connect to the community.

“Handling emotions is a big focus,” she said. “Some of them don’t know how, they just pop off. We give them the tools to learn respect and accountability. “

Jones said no matter how many strikes a student receives for acting up, Hughes always welcomes them back — but she might send them packing for a day or two.

“ ‘We’ll see you tomorrow,’ is the phrase she uses, but we give them an infinite number of chances,” Jones said. “We always want them to have somewhere safe to be.”

Woody said the staff is trained in trauma response and mental health and is capitalizing on Allegheny County programs typically funneled to municipalities closer to Pittsburgh.

“We’ve grown so much and we have so much more we want to do,” she said.

“If kids feel like someone is listening, they will tell you what’s going on in their lives. And that’s invaluable.”

Hughes said students are excited to feel ownership of the new building and have been helping staff move in. Next up, they plan to paint the walls black and gold and fill them with notes of positive affirmation.

Some of the kids have painted canvases to be displayed.

Hughes developed a program to reward hard work, improved grades, good attitudes and respect. She doles out Teen Bucks that can be exchanged for prizes that go from McDonald’s gift cards all the way up to a pair of AirPods.

Woody said the plan is working.

“You see kids who don’t engage in school, but they come here and interact as family,” she said. “We just keep growing, and we have no plans to stop. We are here for everyone.”