We were lucky to catch up with Molly Schroeder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I had just closed a small home business, which was risky by itself, but two weeks into my new job, we had a funeral for a girl who had lost her life to substance abuse.  Hundreds of kids filled our sanctuary that were lost, in shock, and grieving.  The faces of those students and their sense of hopelessness and needing so much support to process what had just happened to their friend were burned in my mind and in my heart. So, when I entered graduate school, I made discovering the needs of the youth in our community and how to support them my focus.

It turns out that was the easy part; the big risk was taking steps to open a youth center focused on meeting those needs. It required me to step WAY out of my comfort zone.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Wave Youth Center is a drop in center with the mission is to be a safe and welcoming place that meets the needs of the body, mind, and spirit of the youth in the Big Lake community. We serve middle and high school–aged youth from across Sherburne County, Minnesota. The Wave operates after school Monday through Friday as well as during extended hours during school breaks and the summer.

We have three main social impact goals:

To give all youth in our community a safe and inclusive space where they feel welcome, appreciated, valued, and respected; to empower our youth with life and social skills to live well and thrive; and to instill the importance of community and create this and future generations of good neighbors and engaged community members.

The Wave Youth Center strives to create a wave of well-being and commitment to the community in our youth, ultimately creating a ripple effect of positive social impact now and future generations.

A remark from one youth in our community after hearing what the youth center was about said, “you mean there will be a place for kids like me? I know I’m weird.” This speaks to the profound importance and critical need of The Wave Youth Center programming in our community, and demonstrates the potential impact The Wave can have on our youth by having a place where they feel like they belong and are accepted just as they are.

We offer three main programs addressing many critical developmental areas: youth resilience and mental health, leadership skills, vocational and career exploration, life and social skills, and positive community involvement.

The Wave’s Mentoring Program promotes resilience, self-confidence, and the tools necessary for youth to weather challenging life transitions. A primary factor in promoting self-care and resilience is having caring and supportive relationships. We are committed to nurturing safe, supportive, consistent relationships through our adult-to-youth and peer-to-peer mentoring activities and programming. Our staff is trained to be very relational with youth and to teach healthy boundaries and conflict-resolution skills. Additionally, The Wave provides other adult mentors from our community that interact, engage, and build relationships with the youth. The mentoring program includes adult-to-youth and peer-to-peer mentoring, vocational exploration, academic support, and teaches life, leadership and social skills.

The Wave’s Good Neighbor & Community Stewardship Program is designed to instill the importance of community in our youth participants. The Wave provides a safe place that serves the largely unseen and at-risk population of Middle School and High School-age students by providing them a place that gives them a sense of belonging, acceptance, and value in our community. Many of our students are marginalized based on their race, gender identity, sexuality, or socioeconomic status and are not served by the robust athletic programs in our community.
We exist to build a strong community by bringing together our youth and our adult community members to engage with and encourage our youth. We offers robust Enrichment Days where community leaders connect with the youth through presentations, question & answer forums, and engaging activities. We encourage and walk alongside of youth in community engagement, participation in local events, and volunteering in the community, which also models and teaches social skills.

We are unique in our holistic approach to well-being. Our Mental Health & Well-Being program operates as an extension of our Mentoring Program. It offers activities and programming to ensure our youth participants feel valued and validated and understand self-care principles, proper nutrition, and healthy boundaries in relationships. Recognizing the critical need for on-site mental health services at The Wave, a recent program expansion allows us to host a licensed therapist one day per week. Although we cannot offer one-to-one counseling services, our in-house clinician is able to facilitate deep discussions between and among our youth and teach important mental health and well-being lessons that our youth may not otherwise learn. We are also fortunate to have two therapy dogs join us twice a week, they are adorable!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

As a 501(c)(3), all of our funding comes through donations from the community and local organizations as well as other fundraising opportunities throughout the year. After forming our advisory board and board of directors, we were blessed to have found sponsors interested in supporting the youth of Big Lake and our surrounding communities. These generous sponsors provided the initial funding, which allowed us to secure the space we currently occupy as well as hire an executive director and ongoing staff in a very short period of time. Other fundraising opportunities have included The Wave Youth Center merchandise, which was available for purchase in our current space, as well as our annual winter fundraiser event. The community is stepping up again to help us move forward with our 27,000 sq. ft. new facility project. For more information, visit https://thewaveyc.org/buildingproject/. Together we will make waves, build community, and change lives!! #makingwaves

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My husband, Clayton, and I have lived in the Big Lake area since 1996 and have raised our three children here. From Juvenile Probation Officer, to Owner of a daycare/preschool, to Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries, to Director of High School Ministry, I have worked all of my adult life with children of all ages. I love to nurture relationships, connect people, and see their relationships develop, especially between those in different stages of life. Living in and being active in the community helped build relationships and trust among the various professional groups, school officials, and public service officials I spoke with while conducting my research for the youth center. Maintaining those connections and attending various groups after that initial research built trust and confidence in me and my commitment to the youth in the community. People knew I had the skill set, passion, and character to see things through to fruition.

Over the years, I have also been involved in several Big Lake community organizations and continue to enjoy doing so, making many lasting connections and sharing the joy in those “light bulb” moments when something clicks for our students upon discovering something new.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thewaveyc.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewaveyc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewaveyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-schroeder-8b2003149/
• Other: GiveMN.org – https://www.givemn.org/organization/Thewaveyc