ISSAQUAH, Wash. — With teenage mental health concerns skyrocketing, The Garage, a Teen Cafe is offering friendship, nourishment, school support and even mental health services completely free of charge.
The cafe has a full espresso bar and snacks to enjoy in the numerous lounging spaces. There’s space for homework, computers and private meeting rooms.
Local teens have made use of donated musical instruments for years and host an open mic on Fridays.
Kaylee Jaech, executive director of The Garage, says the young musicians got a major boost when the cafe partnered with another local organization that provided brand-new tunes.
Foundry10 is an educational research organization based in Seattle. Program Developer Chelsi Gorzelsky says foundry10 seeks opportunities to create more direct value for youth and to expand the way people think about education and learning.
Foundry10 conducted a digital music seminar for the kids, which sparked a philanthropy project. Gorzelsky noticed that the instruments at The Garage were worn and in some cases decades old.
“The drum set was electronic and working intermittently and the keyboard was from the 70s,” says Gorzelsky, who led the charge to revamp the music space.
Guitars got new strings, a brand new keyboard was purchased and a beautiful new drum kit rounds out the stage. Gorzesky said instrumental music can be inequitable and removing the price tag gives more teens a chance to experiment and learn music in a friendly space.
The Garage isn’t just reserved for teenagers, it’s designed by them and features student-led activities with an inclusive and equitable focus.
The advisory board is made up of teen leaders who plan everything from trivia night to movie marathons.
Isabelle Duran, 15, is a part of the Teens 4 Teens program and says The Garage is exactly what she and so many other teens need after several years of social isolation due to the pandemic.
“To be around people your own age for the first time in a long time, outside of school, is really nice,” Duran said.
The Garage is entering a new chapter with plans to build an additional space dedicated to providing immediate support and services to people ages 12 to 18, experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
Blackthorn Haven, a program of the Garage, is in the fundraising stages for a facility and will work with community host homes to provide temporary or even long-term housing for unhoused youths. Within the Issaquah School District, approximately 150 teens reported being homeless.
Jaech credits community partners like foundry10 for making it possible to keep up with growing demand and the need for creative opportunities.
“We went from serving five to 10 kids a day to serving 100 to 150 kids a day and the need is growing so we really couldn’t do it without supporters,” Jaech said.
To learn more or to donate to the nonprofit you can visit their website.