As part of a grant from the C.E.&S. Foundation, the Bounce Coalition has been working to develop training to support adult guides in offering youth-led dialogue structures. Inspired by youth-led Teen Talks at Sowing Seed with Faith (SSWF), the Bounce Coalition collaborated with SSWF youth and out-of-school time organizations that piloted Teen Talks in a previous grant effort to understand the magic behind the program and understand how the model could be replicated in other groups. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana (BBBS), Backside Learning Center (BLC), and Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) provided insight from their experiences piloting the program and SSWF provided foundational information based on their growth over time with the program. Through surveys, focus groups, and feedback sessions, the Bounce Coalition was able to create a training that captured the essence of Teen Talks to sustain the model for future organizations who may be interested in offering.

On February 17, 2026, over 17 individuals who work with youth came together to experience the adult-guide training. The objectives of this training included being able to describe the purpose and values of youth-led dialogue, being able to demonstrate the adult role before, during, and after Teen Talks, being able to support emotional safety without taking over youth leadership, responding appropriately to challenging moments and disclosures, practicing coaching youth facilitators using strength-based approaches, and understanding how to modify Teen Talks for various populations.

 

“This training provided a reminder to center, uplift, and support the youth.” Kentucky Youth Advocates, Nikki Thornton

We look forward to seeing how this project continues to grow. As an effort to further enhance this model, we are actively working on youth-training for youth-participants. We are also excited to be partnering with YMCA Chestnut to implement their very own version of Teen Talks. Stay tuned as we continue to build empowering structures for youth that create positive childhood experiences. 

This work is generously supported by the C.E.&S. Foundation.