Teens Networking Together

Empower the youth of today for a better tomorrow

What do you think of when one says Youth empowerment? What if you would have had someone or an organization to give you that power when you were younger or now as a teen? At Teens Networking Together, youth empowerment is the focus. Teens Networking Together is a youth lead organization that enables teens to be productive citizens in their communities by having TNT youth organize events, service projects and also aspire to be the best version of themselves. We see so much negativity in the media and in our world today that we lose focus on the importance of listening to each other and especially to our youth who will eventually be our future leaders. Let’s invest in our future, let’s invest in positivity, let’s invest in our youth. Your donation will help our future leaders continue to do great things in their community and make positive change in our society today. Give to the max, give to TNT!!!

HISTORY OF TNT In the early 1990’s, (WSCO) West Side Citizen’s Organization hired Gina Weisblat to start youth programing on St. Paul’s West Side. This ambitious, big hearted and full of energy 23 year old went on to speak in different classrooms at Humboldt Junior and Senior high school and also at Gap (Guadalupe Alternative Programs) about youth and how much they can have an impact. She spoke about how youth could have a voice in their community while being able to make the positive changes they wanted in their area. It must have touched many when she spoke because many teens were present at the meeting she invited them to for further discussion. In the basement of Riverview Library on St. Paul’s Westside, youth gathered to discuss issues within the community and were inspired to form committees that addressed racism, the environment, drug and alcohol abuse amongst teens, teen pregnancy, gangs and violence. The teens chose their committees of interest, elected their chair persons and went one step further and even elected their board. And finally, a name was chosen for their organization. With plenty of snacks, enthusiasm, many teen opinions and voices, friends, laughs and under the direction of Gina Weisblat, I can assure you these youth had no idea what great things they had accomplished in only one evening. Teens Networking Together became a youth led organization that evening with a youth board of directors, 8 working committees and about 200 active teens between the ages of 12 and 18. Many TNT members and their committees were continuously featured in the media and often praised for their efforts around the communities. The different committee members were incited to speak about pressing teen issues to different school in and around St. Paul. These schools and also many suburban school would request TNT to host workshops and trainings to their students and lead discussions about racism, poverty, drugs, alcohol, leadership and whatever else was on TNT’s mind at that given time. Members of TNT would not only host their own yearly leadership retreat for their own board but would also attend leadership conferences in Chicago, California and many throughout the Twin Cities. TNT had tremendous success leading teens out of troubled situations and guiding them to reach their full potential. In the present time, we are in need of something similar to TNT for our leaders of tomorrow. Because of this great need, a “dream team” that includes 2 former TNT presidents, was created to bring back the infamous organization to St. Paul’s West Side. This dream team, who also has the founder Mrs. Weisblat as one of their advisors, has been working countless hours to make this happen. In just a few months, the new TNT has partnered with the St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith, Interim City Attorney Laura Pieten, St. Paul Public School Chief Engagement Officer Jackie Turner, Humboldt High school’s principle Mike Sodomka, Open World Learning School’s principle David Gundale and many community organizations to assure that TNT will be even more successful than it once was. It takes a village to raise our youth and TNT has begun the process. Stay tuned…