Our Story
YouthLaunch began with a simple but powerful belief: young people have the ability to change each other's lives.That belief first took shape in 1980 at Crockett High School in Austin, Texas, where a small group of students participated in an experimental peer mentoring program with founder Grant Thomas. What began as a classroom of twelve "peer counselors" quickly became something much bigger. Students discovered that some of the most meaningful support comes not from adults, but from peers who listen, encourage, and genuinely understand one another.
The program soon became known as PALS —Peer Assistance, Leadership, and Service. The model spread rapidly throughout Austin and across Texas, rooted in the idea that students are not just leaders of tomorrow, but leaders right now. As PALS continued to grow, so did the need for an organization dedicated to supporting and expanding youth empowerment initiatives. In 1994, the Peer Assistance Network of America (PAN-America) was founded to champion peer mentoring, leadership, and service opportunities for young people.
A decade later, the organization became YouthLaunch—a name that reflects our commitment to helping young people discover their potential and launch into lives of leadership, service, and purpose. Over the years, YouthLaunch has partnered with schools, students, and communities to create programs that empower young people through service and connection.
Today, YouthLaunch focuses on strengthening peer-to-peer mentorship across the greater Austin area by providing the training, transportation, and technical assistance needed for older students to support younger students. More than four decades after the first PALS class met in Austin, the idea that started it all continues to guide us: when young people are given the chance to support one another, they don't just change individual lives—they strengthen entire communities.
