Education
BY CHLOE YOUNG
NEST Empowerment Center provides safe space for youth
For nearly 15 years, the NEST Empowerment Center has served as a safe haven for Georgetown youth who have faced di cult times. The center, operated by The Georgetown Project nonpro t, provides resources, supportive services and a sense of community to help Georgetown ISD students graduate and nd success during and after high school. “Its purpose is to help kids stay in school and be successful in school, but then to really feel and have as normal of an experience as possible—a typical high school experience,” The Georgetown Project CEO Rob Dyer said. The overview The Georgetown Project started the Nurtur- ing, Empowering, Supporting for Tomorrow, or NEST, Center in 2011 to provide GISD high school students with a safe place to go after school. Many students visiting the center qualify for free and reduced lunch or are experiencing homelessness. The center is located at the former Richarte High School campus in a house o Old Airport Road. Georgetown High School students can walk over to the center after dismissal, while the district buses students to the center from East View and Richarte high schools. Each evening, students receive a warm meal as well as access to a food pantry, and clothes and hygiene closets. The center also o ers emergency shelter for students and their families. “When they get out of school, they come here and this doesn’t feel like a school. It feels like home,” Dyer said. The NEST Center provides programming on a variety of topics, including nancial literacy tips from local banks and mental health support from Bluebonnet Trails Community Services. Students may do arts and crafts, learn about podcasting or participate in equine therapy from the Ride On Center for Kids, NEST Coordinator CB Feller said. The impact Many students who visit the NEST Center go on to nd success after high school, Dyer said. The Georgetown Project’s Summer Youth Employment Program helps high school students and recent graduates explore new careers through working with local businesses. “You can see them stepping into a career and they’re going to college,” Dyer said. “They’re doing
The NEST Empowerment Center—located at the former Richarte High School campus—provides Georgetown ISD high school students a safe place to eat, rest and socialize after class.
CHLOE YOUNG COMMUNITY IMPACT
The NEST Center had the following impact in the 2024 25 school year:
2,500 meals provided
1,819 total teen visits
828 volunteer hours
168 shelter nights provided
141 GISD high school students served
22 family members provided temporary shelter
The center also provides resources and community support to help students succeed after graduation.
COURTESY THE GEORGETOWN PROJECT
SOURCE: THE GEORGETOWN PROJECT COMMUNITY IMPACT
something they might not have been able to do had they not had the opportunity to go through this program.” In the coming years, the NEST Center is aiming to help recent graduates receive post-secondary certi cations for positions in industries such as medical or HVAC, Dyer said. “That’s the di erence between a $15 an hour job and a $40 or $50 an hour job,” Dyer said. “That’s life-changing for people.”
OLD AIRPORT RD.
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2201 Old Airport Road, Georgetown www.georgetownproject.org
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GEORGETOWN EDITION
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