Although she didn't know it at the time, Shelburne resident Susan Grasso was developing the vision for TeenOpps long before her own children entered adolescence.

TeenOpps, a web-based information vehicle that offers adolescents and their families updates on employment, volunteer, and other opportunities available to Vermont teens, was born from Grasso's appreciation of her nieces' journey through this life stage. "I watched them as they matured and it struck me that adolescents were such a capable group and yet they were so underutilized in our communities, especially those teens who were on the shyer side."

Grasso, who has four children (ages 19, 17, 15, and 13), shared her thoughts with friend Sarah Vincent (who has three children, ages 15, 13, and 6), also of Shelburne. Their friendship expanded to include a business partnership, which allowed the next steps of TeenOpps to unfold, including the launch of the website Grasso had designed and built, www.teenopps.org

"The intent of the site," explained Grasso, "is to be a go-to place for teens who are looking for something to do. It tries to include any type of opportunity that may exist for a teen."

The site offers teens myriad opportunities, including employment at Ben and Jerry's, volunteering with the Green Mountain Club, an online book club, and knitting instructions for making a scarf for needy children. It also lists one-day volunteer events with Habitat for Humanity or Polar Express, as well as longer-term commitments. The site identifies opportunities for teens interested in exploring career ideas.

Response to the site has been positive, including feedback from the University of Vermont's computer science department, where senior lecturers Alison Pechenick and Robert M. Erickson have invited their students to partner with TeenOpps. This enables the site to become even more interactive and teen-friendly. Erickson sees value in such partnerships. "These [opportunities] give the students experience in communicating the skills they have learned to a different audience than their peers and professors."

Eric Famiglietti and Mark Cooper, the UVM students who will be working with TeenOpps through a UVM Community-University Partnerships and Service Learning Program (CUPS) grant agree. "I enjoy developing websites and do a lot of freelance development in my spare time," noted Famiglietti. "It was only natural that I would want to take on a project such as this. TeenOpps is an extremely valuable resource to the community. As a teen, I found it difficult to find employment. TeenOpps would have been an invaluable resource."

Grasso, a former environmental engineer, and Vincent, with a background in business, are grateful for the information technology expertise this partnership with UVM brings. They also believe the site's ease of use will contribute to TeenOpps' sustainability. "The site has been designed so that any organization that has an opportunity for a teen can go to the site, which is secure, and post that opportunity," explained Grasso. "The site is monitored, and we do review all listings before the updates go live so that we know it's a real opportunity."

"We really want organizations to know that this is up and running," noted Vincent, adding that TeenOpps has reached out to schools to let them know this resource is available to students.
When asked what they hope TeenOpps will become in 10 years' time, Grasso responded, "I would like this site to provide teens with opportunities to prepare them for a future that reflects who they are, opportunities that allow them to engage with the larger world."

"We have some really great people out there doing great work with teens," observed Vincent, "work that really isn't publicized."

"And that," concluded Grasso, "has made our commitment to this project even greater."
For more information on TeenOpps, please go to www.teenopps.org or e-mail Grasso at susan.grasso@teenopps.org.