LAUNCH PLANS
Know your next step
Graduation is a launch pad. A Launch Plan helps you decide where you're aiming, with a coach to help you get there.
“Life is going to launch you whether you want it or not. A Launch Plan is about aiming where you’ll go before it does.”
UV Launch Plan Coach
What is a Launch Plan?
A Launch Plan is your plan for life after high school, built with a coach who's in your corner.
It starts with where you hope to go. Then it breaks that big goal into small, real steps you can take now. Most important, it always shows your next step, because it's easy to dream about the future and often hard to know what to do tomorrow.
Where are you thinking of heading?
Catch one to see where it could start.
These are examples. Your coach helps you build steps that fit you.
How it works
Meet your coach. You're paired with a coach who meets with you regularly. Coaches are Urban Ventures staff, volunteers, and mentors.
Get to know what you're good at. You and your coach talk about your interests and strengths, and what kind of future fits you.
Build your plan. Together you set a goal and map out the steps to get there.
Take the next step. Each time you meet, you leave with something to do, and so does your coach. Next time, you check in on how it went.
Keep going. Plans change, and that's okay. Your coach helps you adjust as you grow.
“I’d never had anyone help me with these questions before. I went from feeling unsure to feeling confident.”
What a coach can help with
A coach won't do it for you, but they'll make sure you don't have to figure it out alone. That might mean:
Filling out the FAFSA or scholarship applications
Getting a driver's license or state ID
Writing a resume or preparing for an interview
Visiting a campus or exploring a career
Talking with your family about your future
When something gets in the way, it doesn't have to stop the whole plan.
For parents and families
You know your student better than anyone. A Launch Plan comes alongside you and adds another trusted adult to your student's team. Coaches can help your family navigate things like financial aid, applications, and next steps, and your student will always have a clear picture of where they're headed and what comes next.
We’d love to talk with you more about making a plan for your child.
Why it matters
Graduating with a plan changes what a young person can earn over their lifetime. And even when a plan changes, the act of making one and working toward it still leads to better outcomes.
That's why everything we do at Urban Ventures points toward one goal: every child in our neighborhood graduates high school with a plan for what's next.
Because our neighbors succeeding is the key to a healthy community.
What does it look like to launch? Read Da’Kwon’s story.
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Launch Plans are for middle and high school students. But it’s never too young to start. We work with students as young as preschool to start dreaming and planning for their future.
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No, but we hope you will anyways. We think the community is a big part of making Launch Plans work, so we hope you’ll explore our other programs.
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No. There’s no cost for Launch Plans. They are core to our mission of educating kids, strengthening families, and building a healthy community.
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This can vary by coach and student, but a typical cadence is every other month. Sometimes, like junior and senior year, freuqency increases.
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That's normal, and expected. You and your coach will update your plan as you go. It’s not about knowing the whole path, it’s about knowing the next step.
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Most meetings happen at the Urban Ventures Launch Center (3017 4th Ave S), or other Urban Ventures buildings.
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Click the “Ready to aim” button below and we’ll reach out.
Have more questions about Launch Plans? Reach out to Jason.
Ready to aim?
Want to be in someone's corner?
Coaches and donors make Launch Plans work. If you'd like to walk alongside a student as they take their next steps, we'd love to talk.