Chain Reaction is a teen leadership institute that offers service learning opportunities that teach you important life skills through service and activities that your passion and talent create.
Chain Reaction is teen-driven, teen-directed, and teen-organized, which means you won't just be volunteering, you will be helping lead the projects you take on to inspire change within the community. Sound scary? Not to worry! We will be with you every step of the way guiding and shaping you with our groundbreaking curriculum and exciting volunteers.
What is a Teen Leadership Institute?
Chain Reaction is more than service, we are service learning and leadership development. Our mission at Chain Reaction is to empower you to learn through service. In a safe, fun, and empowering environment, you can discover your innate strengths and untapped abilities; unite with other teens as a team of connected, committed citizens; believe in yourself to achieve more and aspire to see the good in all things. Being a Chain Reaction member has a lot of benefits...
Benefits of CR
You build critical soft skills for college and career success
You complete Resume Learning Plan for college applications
We track all of your service hours for bright futures and other college scholarships
You can serve as an intern your junior and senior year
You have a positive place to go after school with some really cool adults (they are old…but awesome)
But above all you discover the fun of serving and leading in your community
What are the Requirements and How do I join?
1. Be in High School
To be a member of CR, you must be in high school or at least the summer before going into 9th grade. To get the full benefits of the CR membership, we have a set of minimum requirements expected to be completed by every member.
2. Create an account and pay the 100$ Membership Fee
Registration opens June 1 and lasts the entire school year. Go to mychainreaction.org and click "SIGN UP" to create an account. This is located at the top right-hand of the page. Membership fee is $100 and need-based scholarships are available. Just contact our office and we will walk you through the qualifications. Rising freshman through seniors can join.
3.Complete a 6-Week Service Learning Project at the CR Center
Chain Reaction has a variety of service projects. You can pick and choose which weeks you would like to come during Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester.
Service-Learning Porjects
Chain Reaction has a variety of service projects that you can choose from with different causes that you can support. How do you want to make an impact beyond yourself?
Human Jukebox:Do you love music? Human Jukebox creates christmas ornaments and performs at Palafox Market to raise money for music and art lessons. All proceeds are given to Big Brothers and Big Sisters. This projects is only offered in the fall.
Leadership in Learning: Do you have a heart for children and encouraging them through learning? Teens create reading packets containing Magic Treehouse books, supersheets, bookmarks, reading owls, quiet critters, and fairy/wizard wands. These learning packets are delivered to third graders at C. A. Weis Elementary School.
Get Grounded: Do you love painting and encouraging others? Get Grounded focuses on encouraging children in foster care and other unstable life circumstances. To symbolize growth, teen volunteers prepare kits in which they paint superheroes such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on potted plants and pair them with encouraging letters that are delivered to children at Gulf Coast Kids House. Help someone feel like a superhero!
CR Science:Do you like science? Teens create and organize three science projects. These science projects allow 5th graders at O.J. Semmes Elementary School to understand science concepts hands-on.
Prisedemic: Do you love animals and saving the environment? Teen volunteers create and deliver dog and cat toys by re-purposing old shirts into braided rope toys for dogs and stuffed mice/fish for cats that would otherwise take up space in landfill. These fun toys will be donated to the Pensacola Humane Society. Help increase dogs' and cats' quality of life while also saving the environment!
Gifts of Hope: Do you enjoy being creative? Using donated LEGOs, volunteers in Gifts of Hope create mini Lego projects with step-by-step picture instruction booklets to benefit children in various community programs. These kits will go in backpacks full of food for children in need at Manna Food Bank, they will go towards children in Autism Pensacola to help with concentration and motor skills, and waiting rooms in Legal Services.
The GOAT:Do you have a passion in sports? Teen volunteers make planters and bird houses out of donated wine corks. These are sold to raise money for different sport causes to ensure that every shild has the opportunity to be "The GOAT."
PSC Kids' College (Summer Only): Do you enjoy working with children? Kids' College is an event held at the Pensacola State College in which teens serve as junior counselors for kids who take classes in everything from fishing and sports to fashion design. Kids' College keeps kids physically and mentally active during their time away from school and allows teens to serve as positive role models for the kids. Volunteers for this event can select the weeks and times that they want to volunteer during the summer and is completely flexible.
CR is open year-round, with service-learning projects offered during the Summer, Fall, and Spring school calendar months. We follow the Escambia County School Calendar we are closed when they are closed except during the summer…that is our busiest time!
Where are you located and what time do you open?
We are located at 1000 College Blvd Building 98 Pensacola, FL 32504. The entrance is located on the 2nd floor of building 98 (behind Kids College).
We are open Monday through Friday. Service occurs from 3:30pm to 5:30pm Tuesday and Wednesday during the school year, and 10:00 to 4:00pm Tuesday and Wednesday during the summer. Even after the center closes, teens will be accompanied by staff until their parent/guardian arrives.
Check out this video for easy directions.
Will CR keep track of my teen's hours?
Yes! Once your teen signs up for Chain Reaction, your teen will receive an account for our online portal where they can check and print out their service hours. Upon request, we can also write out a signed hours verification letter for guidance counselors.
Does my teen have to come every week?
As a member of Chain Reaction, each teen is given a set of minimum requirements he or she needs to fulfill in order to complete the program. For the service projects, your teen needs to come to at least 6 of the 12 weeks available in the project. We understand that teens have other extracurricular activities, so once he or she meets these minimum requirements, he or she may come as desired.
How can I get involved as a parent?
There are a couple different ways you can get involved as a parent. You can become a Donor or you can become an Advocate. Our Advocates volunteer their time in different ways at our events. For more information, read our Chain Reaction Advocate section.
How can I contact CR?
You can email us at info@mychainreaction.org or call our office at 850-471-4685.
Are you interested in more information? Donating? How about just giving us props? Send us a message below and make sure to select what you are: parent/educator, teen, advocate, or donor/partner. Make sure to always impact beyond yourself.
