Groups of Rocksolid Teens and adults volunteer at different locations around the county.
Since its inception in 2002, Rocksolid Teen Center has developed into more than just a place to hang out after school. Along with providing tutors and organizing volunteer work around the county, Rocksolid is also helping students grades 5 – 12 prepare for what millennials often refer to as “adulting.”
In 2014, Executive Director Marcy Sprecher developed a six-week Life Skills Series where the teens and staff discussed a different life skill each week. Topics include personal development, social interaction and job training.
Now Rocksolid has expanded the program to cover the whole year, with at least one guest speaker a month.
“We keep adding to it, offering kids more things to learn,” Board Advisor Lori Lindberg said. “Especially since we find a lot of the school districts have less funding.”
Among others, Rocksolid brings in bankers to teach financial basics, motivational speakers to foster self confidence and Clark County Food Bank officials to help build the groundwork for healthy diets.
“They (the Clark County Food Bank) come in and talk to the kids about meal planning and shopping,” Lindberg said. “They actually do a six-week cooking class with them.”
The staff at Rocksolid also teach life skills such as babysitting, first aid and writing a resume.
“That’s our whole mission ... to supply a safe place for kids where they have mentors and create new friendships and yet they’re being developed into Rocksolid adults and citizens,” Lindberg said. “We started realizing that a lot of these (life) skills were not being taught in school.”
Along with the Life Skills program, Rocksolid offers a snack each day along with activities in the gym and outside, as well as monitored internet browsing and pool tables. It opens for the school year on Sept. 3.
According to Lindberg, the Life Skills program at Rocksolid comes at no additional cost.
