What is Touch Point Connection?

Touch Point Connection’s mission is to spread the power of coaching to youth to support their academic success and to enable them to develop skills and competencies required for productive lives and careers.

Touch Point Connection, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and received its IRS tax-exempt designation in November 2007. Touch Point Connection is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

Touch Point Connection’s current work focuses in four areas:

  • Design, test, and develop best practice youth coaching programs and sharing these broadly with schools and youth-serving organizations.
  • Provide training for community service and educational organizations, as well as business and community members that wish to hold coaching conversations with students and young adults.
  • Build collaborations that bring coaching to more students and broader student populations.
  • Advocate for coaching for young adults.

Why Coach Students

All youth can benefit from non-judgmental, goal-oriented coaching that inspires them to achieve their best. Typically, youth who under achieve or drop out of school are academically capable, but do not reach their potential because of what is happening to them outside of school.

Howie with Teens

Sometimes students are not challenged in school or miss school due to circumstances beyond their control and simply give up. Too often teens do not have a consistent adult in their life to act as a guiding force.

The Power of Coaching

  • IMPROVE performance and decrease adverse influences
  • SUPPORT to explore and develop strengths and skills critical to success and desired by employers
  • DEVELOP 21st Century life and career skills such as analysis and decision-making, communication and collaboration, flexibility and adaptability, and accountability and productivity.

Touch Point Connection’s Name Describes the Coaching Approach

Touch Point: A light touch of support that can provide balance to keep someone moving forward on his or her own path.

Connection: a safe, trusting and non-judgmental sanctuary where one can explore, practice and develop skills and competencies.

Why Coaching Matters

Educational attainment is critical to every community’s welfare. The long term cost of not supporting youth is too steep.

  • Most jobs that pay enough to live on require MORE than a high school diploma.
  • Half of high school dropouts NEVER work in their lifetime
  • High school dropouts are 3 times more likely to have children who also dropout
  • EACH dropout costs our Social Welfare systems an estimated $260,000 over their lifetime
  • If a dropout turns to crime or drugs, each one costs us an estimated: $1.7 – $2.4 million over his/her lifetime
  • The majority of prison inmates are high school dropouts. Already some state funding for prisons is higher than for education
  • Communities suffer lost jobs
    • Without an educated workforce, employers move elsewhere
    • Without a good system of public education and low crime rates, employers are challenged to attract and retain a skilled workforce