Empowering Teens in Palo Alto: Discovering Resources & Events
Palo Alto offers numerous resources and events tailored to empower and support teens. From academic assistance and skill development to mindfulness, social engagement and creative outlets, Palo Alto provides a nurturing environment for teens to explore their interests, expand their horizons, and unlock their full potential. In this community update, we highlight top teen resources and events, providing a guide for teens and their families to thrive!
Mitchell Park Teen Center
The Mitchell Park Teen Center serves as a drop-in hub for middle-school teenagers seeking a safe and inclusive space to socialize, learn, and grow. The center offers a wide range of programs, workshops, and events designed to foster personal development, leadership skills, and community engagement. From resume-building workshops to college prep seminars, the Teen Center equips teens with essential life skills while encouraging them to pursue their passions and interests.
The center, which starts Sept. 5 and remains open during the school year, also offers fun amenities for connecting with other teens — with adult supervision — such as pool, foosball, ping pong, video games, basketball, and board games.
Yearly membership costs only $70, or you can pay $10 per month as you go. Teens can also occasionally access the facility for a drop-in fee of $2.
Palo Alto Libraries
Palo Alto’s libraries are a treasure trove of resources for teenagers. They provide an extensive collection of books, digital resources, and study materials to support academic pursuits. In addition, the libraries organize various educational and recreational programs, including coding workshops, book clubs, and author talks. Teens can take advantage of these resources to expand their knowledge, cultivate a love for reading, and engage in stimulating conversations.
They can also find content that inspires teens, from creative graphic novels and books geared towards teen trailblazers to teen-focused cookbooks and ways to get side gigs.
Palo Alto Art Center
For teenagers with a creative streak, the Palo Alto Art Center offers a Fine Art Program, which helps teens to develop skills in the arts, encouraging creative expression and collaboration, and building their confidence. Teens craving more creative outlets can take part in a plethora of art classes throughout the school year and summer camps in a vibrant and supportive community. The center hosts workshops, exhibitions, and open studios that allow teens to explore various art forms, including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, digital photography and mixed media.
Learn more about Art Center Resources for Teens here.
Teen Mental Health Resources
The teen years can be a particularly stressful time. To support mental health in adolescents, Palo Alto offers numerous resources. Organizations such as allcove and Project Safety Net (PSN) provide counseling and therapy services tailored specifically to teenagers. These resources offer a safe space for teens to discuss their concerns, manage stress, and build resilience, ensuring their emotional well-being.
Allcove: Youth 12+ and young adults up to 25 years old can access services for mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, family support, education support, and career coaching for free or low cost. The center also offers events such as support groups, life skills classes and recreational activities.
Project Safety Net: Project Safety Net (PSN) mobilizes community support and resources for youth suicide prevention and mental wellness.
Adolescent Counseling Services: Includes crisis intervention, direct counseling, on-campus programs at middle and high schools, outpatient substance abuse counseling and LGBTQIA+ support and advocacy.
Gronowski Center (Palo Alto University): Counseling, psychotherapy, and assessment services for all adolescents, adults and families by supervised doctoral-level student therapists on a sliding scale fee basis. Includes specialty services for the LGBTQ and LatinX communities.
The City’s Be Well web portal offers a wide variety of mental health programs, crisis hotlines, helplines, wellness and meditation online resources, and family fun and fitness resources.
Volunteer Opportunities
Engaging in community service can be a transformative experience for teenagers, and Palo Alto offers various volunteer opportunities. Teens are welcome to apply for volunteer opportunities at the Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, and in local Parks & Open Space, as well as various City youth councils.
Library Volunteering: There are plenty of ways to serve the library, such as writing book reviews, hosting a workshop, helping the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, and more.
Art Center Volunteering: Whether you’re looking to give back to the community or want to build your resume, the Palo Alto Art Center offers a variety of volunteer opportunities:
Art Center Teen (ACT) Leadership: High-school aged teens can join ACT Leadership (a year-long commitment), where they assist in producing programming that connects teenagers to art and artists.
Teen Ceramics Apprentices: These apprentices volunteer for a minimum of two hours a week for the current class or camp session at the Art Center, assisting with maintaining the ceramics studio, assisting with lesson planning, working closely with instructors, plus apprentices gain access to the studio for their own artmaking.
Special Projects and Art Prep: Teens can work on special service projects, such as Girl Scout Gold Awards, Eagle Scout Awards, and other extensive service projects.
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo: The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo will soon be taking volunteer applications.
For other volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved, go here: www.cityofpaloalto.org/getinvolved
STEM Programs and Competitions
Palo Alto embraces its status as a hub of innovation and technology, offering numerous programs for teens interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The library offers everything from science and technology eBooks and Chromebooks and scholar tablets for borrowing to robotics resources, and Teen Game Arcades at Mitchell Park Library.
They also offer, in partnership with the California State Library, the Gale Interactive: Science program, which lets teens manipulate 3D interactive models to visualize and understand biology, chemistry, earth, and space sciences.
City Recruiting Teen Advisors
The City is currently recruiting for the Palo Alto Teen Advisory Board and the Palo Alto Youth Council — which are great ways for youth to serve as liaisons between the City and their peers. The deadline to apply is August 26!
Palo Alto Youth Council (PAYC): The Palo Alto Youth Council (PAYC), comprising 15–20 highly dedicated high school students who serve as youth ambassadors to the City Council, helping identify and address the key concerns that teenagers face. In recent years PAYC has implemented programs such as Escaping Vaping, College Admissions after COVID, Finals Study Cram Slam, teen surveys and community service events. Learn more and apply here.
Teen Advisory Board: The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) features a group of 15–20 highly committed high school students who plan and lead events for teens in Palo Alto, with recent examples such as Tab’s Haunted Escape Room, Boba & Brushes, Palopalooza, City-wide toy drive and MLK Jr. Day of Celebration. Apply here.
Teen Arts Council: Teen Arts Council, an initiative of the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre and the City of Palo Alto Teen Services, focuses on providing spaces and events for high school students to express themselves artistically in various formats, such as visual art, fashion, poetry, music, comedy, or film. Any high school student is welcome to join the Council and can attend any meeting. Click here for the upcoming meeting schedule.
Connect Together & with the City of Palo Alto!
Social connection is an important aspect for all of us, including teens. Here are a few additional resources to connect in-person and through social media.
Follow the City of Palo Alto on Instagram and other social media channels: www.cityofpaloalto.org/connect
Check out the City Calendar: www.cityofpaloalto.org/calendar
Whether it’s academic support, artistic expression, mental health resources, community service, or STEM opportunities, Palo Alto ensures that its teens have access to the tools they need to thrive.
More Online Resources
Palo Alto Teen Services Portal
Visit Palo Alto Nature Preserves
