Mentoring relationships will be at the heart of Wayfinder Collaborative. Each member will be matched with a mentor who sets aside time to meet individually each week. It's hard to overestimate how important it is for young people to feel heard and known — not just like a number. Having a caring, supportive adult as an ally helps teens make the most of their time at Wayfinder.

Mentors will also help connect members to learning opportunities at Wayfinder, online, and in the wider community — and help them keep track of their experiences and growth for whatever next steps they're planning after Wayfinder.

We know parents have questions too. What does the college application process look like? How does a teen get a job or a driver's license? Is a gap year a good idea? Our mentors will be a resource for families navigating these questions. In addition to routine family meetings throughout the year, you'll always be able to reach out by phone or email whenever you need support.

Community is a key part of what we're building at Wayfinder Collaborative. We want members to genuinely look forward to being here — a place where you're welcomed, you have friends, and you have time to learn, laugh, and be yourself.

We plan to stay intentionally small — no more than 30 members at capacity — so that every voice matters.

Our goal is to make Wayfinder a welcoming, inclusive space where people are respected for who they are. For young people coming from difficult social situations, the friendships and acceptance they find here can be one of the most valuable parts of their experience.

Many people are astounded by the huge number of opportunities for young people to learn outside of the traditional school system. Wayfinder Collaborative will serve as both a provider and connector to this world of possibility.

Classes and activities at Wayfinder will typically meet once a week, average between three and eight members, and cover a wide range of interests — from traditional subjects like algebra and writing to interest-driven topics like Japanese or computer programming. Our staff will lead some offerings, but some will also be provided by community volunteers, allowing us to build a diverse catalog based on what our members actually want to learn.

We plan to set aside days each month for trips and special workshops. Often proposed and planned by members themselves, trips might include anything from a nature hike to a tour of a local business or university lab.

Because Wayfinder is intentionally small, there will be plenty of leadership opportunities. Members will be encouraged to organize trips, lead our weekly all-group meetings, take on community roles, and even teach classes or offer one-on-one skills sessions to fellow members.

Many parents worry that leaving traditional school will somehow limit their child's future opportunities. We understand that concern — and we're confident it doesn't have to be that way.

The majority of students from centers like ours choose to attend college. Many people are surprised to learn that teens who don't attend traditional school can still apply to college — but the self-directed-education-to-college path is well established in the United States. Millions of homeschooled and non-traditionally schooled students have gone on to college, and it is a routine process that doesn't disadvantage applicants. Our mentors will help members document their learning and build a narrative transcript that translates their experience into a form colleges understand.

The second most common path for members of centers like ours is entering the workforce or starting a business. Self-directed education gives young people the flexibility to begin developing real skills in their area of interest — whether that's coding and building products, apprenticing in a trade, or learning the ins and outs of running a small business. Instead of squeezing your passions into after-school hours, you can make them the focus of your education.

Some members also choose to travel or take a gap year before heading to college or entering the workforce. The bottom line is that anything teens can do through traditional schooling, they can still do through self-directed education. Wayfinder Collaborative is here to help make those possibilities real.

One of the most unique aspects of Wayfinder Collaborative will be that many of our classes and tutorials are led by community volunteers. We'll regularly ask members what they want to learn, which will often lead us to search the local community for people willing to share their time and talents. We expect to be continually amazed by the dedicated and passionate people we find — or who find us.

At Wayfinder, members might learn computer programming from working developers, Spanish from native speakers, or agriculture from local farmers. Getting exposure to — and building relationships with — people who are active in fields they care about is an incredibly valuable experience that can open doors for years to come.