The Brainerd Baxter Youth Center

The Brainerd Baxter Youth Center

Known locally as "TheShop"

Adolescence is a monumental time in our development. Teenagers rapidly meet milestones as the pace of life quickens. This is an important time for youth environments to foster trusting and safe relationships that promote self-discovery. 

A 3rd space is somewhere that we can drop our typical roles. Somewhere beyond school, work, and home. The local library, an art or dance studio, the park, and for our teens: TheShop. A youth center is a place for weaving connections, sharing meals, competing and collaborating in the same game of Uno, or merely crashing on the couch after a long week.

Growing teens are hungry! Those joining us after school are welcome to ravish our snacks as they settle in, and the smell of a homemade meal wafts through the air. Teens are encouraged to learn and practice culinary skills by dawning the chef hat and cooking for their peers. The dinner bell rings at 5:00pm, when we all sit down to eat, talk, and be together.

Healthy life transitions call for more than nutritious meals. Hygiene supplies and clothing are basic necessities. To support young people and their families, TheShop provides access to these items at no cost! We uplift our teens come August, celebrating their success and filling backpacks with school supplies. This is not a needs-based based program. Here at TheShop, youth belong the moment they walk in the door. 

Each month presents different opportunities to connect, learn, and create. The WeARE clinic leads SxTalks, with topics on reproductive health, bodily autonomy, safe relationships, and other conversations that tend to go unaddressed amongst teens. We regularly welcome the public library for facilitated creation nights, where young people explore creative ways to apply themself, like hand sewing! Often, we’ll bring in others for LifeTalks to connect with our youth on topics of financial management, first aid, mental health, and college readiness, to name a few opportunities. RainbowRoad is a night for our LGBTQ+ and gender expansive youth to come together in community. These nights focus on our connections with each other and the historical movement for queer rights. We may educate ourselves, connect with safe adults, host guests, or merely paint our nails and laugh together. We all do better when we all do better, this is the principle of Level Up! A monthly gathering for our young folks to come together, set goals, and help hold one another accountable for achieving success.

It’s not all learning. Here at TheShop we get creative, competitive, and enjoy in-house movie nights, popcorn and all! Our regulars lead movie, game, and art nights twice a month, so there are many opportunities to engage. Teenagers are encouraged to make use of our available art supplies, play our board games, veg out on the Xbox and Wii, or kick back on the couch to fall asleep while reading a book. Holidays and birthdays happen all year long, meaning many moments to sport our festivity and celebrate alongside one another.

TheShop is built for teens, offering engaging opportunities to build connections and discover a sense of belonging in the community that we create together. Here, a network of people, places, and things are readily available to support our youth on their path to independence. We want to see all young folks succeed and walk alongside them as they bloom into their self-worth and unique identities. 

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Empowering youth to reach potential 
Visit: http://theshopbrainerd.org/