The Growing Responsibility and Independence in People Project is a "by teens, for teens" young people's program with residential services as a foundation. We work hard, as a team, to teach our residents all of the daily life-skills that they will need to be on their own. In addition to being aggressively active in our community we ensure that young people have a voice, and are experiencing the benefits of service learning. GRIP teens are participants in every part of the GRIP, from making and upholding rules and values, to participating in the daily operations of our home and our place in the community.

What is "By Teens, For Teens"?
Teens who are in need of the GRIP support, have fine-tuned their "resourcefulness" skills. They have lived unconventional lives, many through their most critical formative years. At the GRIP we believe that our teens' resourcefulness is their strength to build upon, rather than demanding that they conform to a traditional residential model. This is why we have had tremendous success with our "by teens, for teens" model.

We know that youth want to be listened to; all projects related to the GRIP, (including the GRIP as a whole) are based on young people making the large and small decisions starting with program design that includes implementation and evaluation. This system embodies a self-policing, mini-community that insists on teamwork, accountability, dedication, and duty. Our model teaches young people that there is consequence and reward that can be controlled by the choices that they make in a world where they are expected to be self-sufficient adults. It encourages and creates passion focused on their roles as voters, leaders, employees, parents, and productive citizens.