The Youth Service Center (YSC) Teenboard is a club that was formed in August 2001 by Ms. Chastain, who started it her first year at Lafayette. It was intended to be an advisory group for the YSC coordinator to help determine the programs and activities the YSC would have, and to have a youth perspective on these said programs. If Ms. Chastain has a program or activity idea, she would get Teenboard members to present their perspective on it so they can see whether the activity or program is a good idea or not.

Though Teenboard still has the function of serving as an advisory board, it did eventually evolve over time into a diversity and leadership club where students can voice their ideas and opinions about certain topics. Some Teenboard activities consist of community service, including filling backpacks for our Weekend Food program. Participating in community service helps members make a change in the community. Ms. Chastain told The Lafayette Times, “I want Teenboard to be very similar to the Gandhi quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.””

In Teenboard, members feel as if they are family to one another, which makes them more comfortable when speaking about difficult topics. Teenboard is a tight-knit, small group of students, who love to converse and vent about certain topics. This is especially expressed at retreats, which are occasional meetings that take place on certain weekends at the school. Teenboard is a very accepting club and encourages students to join. The process to join has actually been the same since Teenboard was founded back in 2001, and is a great club if you like talking about and voicing your opinion on hot-button topics. These topics can range from common issues that occur around us, to major events that are happening around our country, and the world.