Healthy Community Initiative

If the Faribault Youth Space hadn’t opened, Ella Morgan might have been climbing the walls at home on a Thursday after school in early October. Instead, the Faribault High School junior applied swirls of color to a white concrete block wall in a downtown building, freestyling a design while her friend Clara painted larger-than-life red and black ladybugs next to a window.

Ella said it had been a few years since she’d painted. But with the encouragement of HCI staff member Molly Titchenal and the availability of brushes and a rainbow of paint colors, the two students made their mark on the new space in about 15 minutes before moving on to explore activities in other rooms and talk with classmates who had dropped in to check out the space.

The Faribault Breakthrough Coalition came up with the idea for the center after listening to youth and parents express a desire for a “third space” in Faribault, a place where young people from across the city would feel welcomed and encouraged to gather and have fun. The Youth Space had its soft opening in September. Twelve different students attended in its first four weeks, and by early October, 10 additional new students had showed up.

“The number one thing is for the students to have a connection with caring adults who build relationships with them,” said Titchenal, who is a network impact coordinator for the Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition and fills in at the youth space when one of the regular adult mentors can’t attend.

The Faribault Youth Space is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-7:30 p.m. for young people ages 14-18 (or anyone still in high school) and is located on the upper level of the building at 219 Fourth Ave. NW. The space includes several different rooms, offers activities like ping-pong and foosball, board games and video games, and is always staffed by at least two adults. Students are free to come and go, but most have been arriving when the doors open and staying for the full three hours. 

As word gets out, the center will offer more programming suggested by the youth. A free meal is provided every evening the center is open; pizza has been a recent staple, but eventually it’s hoped that volunteers will sign up to provide food.

HCI staff member Nicky Hosterman, a RISE coordinator at Faribault High School, attends most evenings and has been instrumental in publicizing the space among students in the program. The youth space will host a RISE celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to encourage more youth to visit.

In addition to the Faribault Breakthrough Coalition, the center is supported by Allina Health, the Community Action Center, Faribault Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, the Faribault Rotary Club, HealthFinders Collaborative, and Healthy Community Initiative.

If anyone is interested in donating art supplies, board games, or musical instruments, providing music lessons, or volunteering in some way, please contact Molly at 507-573-1097.