It takes a village to raise a child. It is hard work to support adolescence, especially when families live away from extended family, classes are over capacity, everyone is overscheduled, and opportunities for teens to build relationships / community and learn from each other are limited. Teenacers creates meaning in the adolescent experience. It creates a container that holds the challenges that young individuals face during this time of transitioning into adulthood. It offers them, and their grown-ups, the language tools for meaningful communication, the mindset practices that enable them to feel grounded, and the mindfulness and awareness to go through adolescence conscious, awake, and supported. Teenacers also works with young adults in supporting them through major and challenging transitions in their life, while the other aspect of coaching teens is designed to wrap around the family unit with direct coaching for teens and grown-ups. Teenacers is designed to work inside a coaching method that is meant to address the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of life. Its focus is on mindset and self-esteem, and offers strategies rooted in changing the language we use in order to shift our perspectives and the way we communicate with each other.
Teenacers, obviously, is a play on the word Teenagers. I’ve been teaching for 16 years, and as one can imagine, I’ve heard this word said many times, usually followed by the phrase, “… these days.” I wanted to change the connotation around this word. As someone who has spent the majority of my life teaching teenagers, I have seen the struggles of adolescence as a cry for help, a need for nurturing, and a desire for guidance and support, rather than an inability to regulate their emotions. I believe that we learn how to co-regulate and that we model this as a collective-community for young individuals. We have fewer opportunities to do that in today’s society.
Teenacers is the only teen coaching available in Calgary, outside of coaching offered by therapists, social workers, and outreach programs. Most of my clients reach out to me in order to access 1:1 coaching, for their teens and family, supporting them in navigating adolescence and early adulthood. Over the past few years of teaching, and as cutbacks and large classrooms took effect, I noticed teens struggling more and more. Not because of a lack of educational expertise, but a lack of connection. It became harder to reach out to students. Teenacers stands for Adolescent — Coaching — Empowering — Resilient — Success, and was founded on the premise that: If a child has at least one support, outside of the family unit, that helps them navigate adolescence, they will become more resilient, feel empowered, and take action in their life.
I have taught in all divisions. And, although teaching still remains my love, deep down, my passion is to understand the alchemy of adolescence. Over the years, I’ve realized that my students found their way, not because they succeeded in academics necessarily, but because they had the opportunity to nurture relationships within their school community, whether that was with teachers, or other classmates. These relationships made them more resilient and encouraged them to take action. They were empowered. I work with teens, parents, and young adults in helping them along this journey. I offer strategies for personal leadership, mindset awareness, and building self-esteem and empowerment; tools to help individuals feel supported and empowered in any stage of their life.