https://youtu.be/6Y-dZrgfV00 Music can bring generations together for connection and collaboration, inspiration and celebration. Join us to learn more about three nonprofits bringing generations together through music and, as a special bonus, listen in on three...
These Intergenerational Music Sessions Are Transforming Lives
We’re partnering with The Eisner Foundation on a new program called Music Across Generations, which explores and celebrates how music brings generations together to bridge divides, create connection, and strengthen communities. This Q&A series shines a light on...
These 167 Organizations See Cogeneration as a Solution to Loneliness
Media coverage of social isolation and loneliness is focused almost exclusively on the problem. With barely a whisper about solutions, you’d be forgiven for thinking nobody is working on answers. So when we opened applications for a five-week community of practice to...
Event Recording: Youth Power — What can teens teach us about cogeneration?
https://youtu.be/AdHsLrBxjoI At Citizen University, both teens and adults are deeply involved in strengthening civic culture. But when all ages met, both young and older were a bit uneasy. They wondered how they could best work together. How could they tap the talents...
What Does It Mean for a Program to be Truly Youth-Led?
A nonprofit in rural Georgia changes course to put youth in charge of their learning
Across the country, a new wave of intergenerational collaboration is transforming how communities approach youth development. Some organizations are riding this momentum with ease, while others are still finding their footing.
Amidst the buzz of books, webinars, and workshops on how to navigate this shift, one small nonprofit in Rome, Georgia, is breaking through the noise—and they’re eager to make “youth-led” more than just a buzzword.
Ciara Mcknight, the 33-year-old founder of A Teen’s Choice, uses her master’s in mental health to help place youth on the path to success.
“I’ve always known I wanted to help youth,” McKnight says. “The first two years of my program were set on ensuring that young people in rural areas had the skills they needed to be successful in life, but now I realize that they don’t just need skills, they need the opportunity to be in charge of their future.”
At first, A Teen’s Choice centered on literacy-building through reading camps and self-esteem courses, with a major mental health awareness component woven into all of its activities. These mental health courses became a core foundation for promoting not just academic success, but also overall wellbeing and confidence. At this early stage, McKnight mostly ran the program by herself, delivering content in a lecture format, primarily to girls. With only three college volunteers, she was able to reach about 40 teens per year.
As time went on, the program expanded to include middle and high schoolers, offering knowledge on post-high school options, including college tours, essay-writing workshops, FAFSA help, SAT and ACT prep, and résumé-building sessions. The seniors were also eligible to apply for a $500 scholarship awarded at the group’s annual gala.
When I read an article about A Teen’s Choice in my college newspaper, I was intrigued. I was curious to see how McKnight was incorporating youth leadership into what I assumed was a mentor-mentee format. When I reached out, McKnight told me she was shifting to a new approach she called the C.A.S.H. Program.
“I wanted to create something I wish I had when I was in my K-12 career,” McKnight said. “The most pressing problems change with each generation, but the most pressing barriers stay the same. I saw them in our test scores, our literacy rates, and our drop-out rates. Youth aren’t engaged because school is a one-way street. They don’t have enough say, and some of them don’t even have enough cash to afford to care about school.”
The C.A.S.H. Program, which stands for Choices, Accessibility, Sustainability, and Healing, is designed to address these systemic barriers by offering real-world opportunities to youth and helping them create a foundation of agency and empowerment. Unlike the earlier version of A Teen’s Choice, which was more structured and top-down, the C.A.S.H. Program involves youth at every stage, allowing them to shape the program according to their needs. C.A.S.H is a six- to 12-month program that offers youth a chance to gain up to five different certifications of their choice. Currently, McKnight and two college student volunteers run the program, serving 10 participants.
The program starts with a summer orientation and then launches into collaborative projects based on participants’ interests. One student is working with a local business owner to create a logo for his clothing brand, while others are involved in building their own websites. Participants can also choose from a variety of certification paths, including Narcan, CPR, graphic design, content creation, cosmetology, and even banking through a partnership with Truist Bank.
“It’s super important to reach youth before they join the workforce,” McKnight says. “When they’re 16, they’ll have national certifications, hands-on experience, and, more importantly, the confidence to know when things are meant for them and when they aren’t.”
The program still faces challenges, particularly around transportation. Being based in a rural community, reliable transportation is essential, and some youth have had to drop out because they lack a way to regularly attend project sessions. A Teen’s Choice has been seeking funds for a van, but competition for resources is high in Floyd and Polk counties.
McKnight envisions the C.A.S.H. Program growing far beyond its current form. As the youth complete their training and gain hands-on experience, they won’t just move on—they’ll come back as C.A.S.H. Ambassadors. These young leaders will help shape the next version of the program, bringing their insights to build even stronger opportunities for the next cohort.
By incorporating youth voices into every stage of development, McKnight ensures that C.A.S.H. remains truly youth-led, evolving each year to reflect what young people and local employers see as the most critical skills for success. It’s more than a program—it’s a platform for youth to design their own futures.
Learn more about A Teen’s Choice and how to help the C.A.S.H. Program advance.