Asbury Park, October 30, 2023 – Teen Think Tank Project and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County team up for a second year to facilitate Teens Take the Lead, a youth empowerment program aimed at helping local teens introduce meaningful social change within their community.  The program recruits high school students from Ocean and Monmouth Counties to participate in discussions, conduct research, develop a solution, and execute a service-learning initiative aimed at bettering the community.  

Teens Take the Lead was launched in 2022 as part of a collaboration between the Boys & Girls Club, The Teen Think Tank Project, the Grunin Foundation, and other Jersey Shore organizations looking to empower area youth.  The program’s first year saw local teens examine the social issues affecting their community.  Throughout the inaugural offering, program participants determined that the lack of educational resources within minority communities was the greatest obstacle to success for Shore Area teens.  The cohort then laid out a blueprint to better understand and solve this problem through research and collective action, which will be the primary focus of this year’s participants.   

“As a social justice education program, we have had the pleasure to work with high-potential teens, school districts, colleges & universities, and community organizations to help instill growth mindset in teens across the world.  However, working with the folks at the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County is special,” said Teen Think Tank Project’s Founder & CEO, Matthew DeSantis.  “We are an Asbury Park-based company, so to work with an organization like BGCM who serves the young men and women of our community hits a little different!  These teen change agents are doing real work where it is needed the most.” 

“As an organization that is solely focused on youth development, the Club is uniquely positioned to positively guide and empower our teenagers at a critical point in their lives. We are so grateful for the passion and dedication that Teen Think Tank Project brings to Teens Take the Lead, increasing the breadth and depth of the program’s impact,” said Douglas Eagles, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County.

The Teens Take the Lead program is currently recruiting high school students interested in education, social justice, or public policy.  Students can attend an information session on November 15th.  Interested students can email [email protected] for more information.  

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County is a private non-profit organization that serves children from some of the most difficult circumstances in the county.  With units operating in Red Bank, Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, the Club serves more than 1,000 kids and teens annually.  More information can be found at https://bgcmonmouth.org/ and on social media @bcgmonmouth.

Teen Think Tank Project is a student-run policy institute that fosters critical thinking, research techniques, and problem-solving skills to develop policy frameworks for real-life issues and empowers students to become changemakers. Teens find their voice and create change at www.teenthinktankproject.com or @teen_thinktank.