The Carl Rippberger Youth Drop-In Center provides a safe place for youth to engage their peers for networking, fun, and learning. The Center is open Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. for youth, between the ages of 13 and 18 (adults are not allowed in the space unless they are trained adult allies (volunteers). This Center is equipped with an XBOX 360 and assorted games, ping pong table, board games, WIFI, Netflix, and much more. The Center also features movie and game nights and youth-led discussion groups.

We are looking to upgrade our youth drop-in center to be more engaging for the youth that are coming to access the space. This includes upgrading the game systems, getting new furniture, purchasing new board games, and getting the kitchenette usable again with a new refrigerator.

Many of the youth that come to Affirmations come from low-income households or are challenged by homelessness, and almost all the youth identify as LGBTQ. These youth come to Affirmations as a place to call home and to find their families of choice. They deserve to have services offered to them that they may not be able to find outside of our doors. Therefore, it is so important that we fix what is broken within the space, replace what is worn out, and really revitalize everything.

We also are looking at moving the drop-in space to a bigger area within the Center over the next year, and because of this, we want to make it a new and exciting experience, and we hope to have it open for more days and more hours within the new drop-in room, because staffing will be more readily available.