Now You Know...
At The Outlet, Inc. is a 501c3 public charity serving at-risk youth as a community outreach whose purpose is to give students an outlet as an extra incentive to excel academically, display positive behavior and leadership skills in their communities. Our mission is to inspire hope, provide a creative expression outlet and contribute to the well-being of youth by providing a safe haven where they can LEARN, NETWORK, AND DEVELOP to create lasting change in their own lives and communities. ATO, INC. has been serving children and families for over 20 years, through our partnerships with Corporations, Community, and Faith Based Organizations. ATO, Inc. strives to expand its youth programming and weekly offerings through delinquency prevention, mentoring, educational enrichment, performing arts, and therapeutic activities. In 2021, we humbly opened our first micro school, ATO Academy, combining academic achievement with creative expression. Our programs are designed to help our students develop high self–esteem and boost self-confidence. Our goal is to provide an avenue for them to not only express but to channel that energy in a creative, safe and productive environment.
Mission Statement:
EmPOWERing at-risk youth through creative expression and educational enrichment to cultivate positive behaviors, leadership skills, and lasting community impact.
Purpose Statement:
At The Outlet, Inc. is a dedicated 501c3 public charity committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of at-risk youth. Our purpose is to provide a transformative outlet that inspires academic excellence, fosters positive behavior, and nurtures leadership qualities within young individuals. By offering a safe haven where learning, networking, and personal development thrive, we empower youth to create lasting positive changes in their lives and communities.
Vision Statement:
To create a world where every at-risk youth discovers their inner potential, thrives academically, and becomes a beacon of positive change within their communities, fostering a society built on empowerment, compassion, and collective growth.
According to US News and World Report, AZ Public Schools rank 47th out of 50 nationally pre-K to 12th grade. That's 3rd from the bottom! According to a State of AZ study, at risk youth are 40-60% less likely to graduate from HS. We provide an alternative, ATO Academy, our new K-12 micro school that offers small class sizes providing students more direct teaching for a better education. We encourage students to express themselves through art. Find out how to get your student enrolled here!
Microschools are reinventing education!
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A small mixed-age student population
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An innovative, customized curriculum
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Place-based and experiential learning,
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The use of cutting-edge technology, and
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An emphasis on mastering or understanding curriculum standards and materials.
...Don't take our word for it...
“I’ve learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me...I have to try to find a way to channel that anger to the positive, and the highest positive is forgiveness.”
- Sidney Poitier
I go through a lot of depression, and I know other people do, too, but I have an outlet that so many people don't. If you have that inside of you and can't get it out, what do you do?
- Billie Eilish
...I know you think it's just an outlet when you're really mad
But you don't know the platform you're about to have...
- NF (Nate Lyrics)
...NF describes music as being an outlet and therapy.
- Genius.com
...God gave me the gift and He gave me the ability to—to do this. And He also gave me this as an outlet...
- NF (Therapy Session Lyrics)
I'm plugged in (in), I'm plugged in (in)
I'm plugged in (in), I'm plugged in (in)
I got a real plug (yeah), it never let me down (yeah)
Always come through when I need it, never been a drought
- Lecrae (Plugged In Lyrics)
I was very shy and I was very introverted as a kid, but whenever I set foot on stage, I kind of opened up, and I think a lot of kids need an outlet to express their creativity. And a lot of kids are scared to do that if there's not a safe environment for that. — Jeremy Jordan
Our Mission
Empowering at-risk youth through creative expression and educational enrichment to cultivate positive behaviors, leadership skills, and lasting community impact.
An Outlet Gets You Plugged into a Source
How can we accept a situation in which there are no longer orchestras, choruses, libraries, or art classes to nourish our children? We need more support for the arts, not less, particularly to make this rich world available to young people whose vision is choked by a stark reality. How many children, who have no other outlet in their lives for their grief, have found solace in an instrument to play or a canvas to paint on? When you take into consideration the development of the human heart, soul, and imagination, don't the arts take on just as much importance as math or science?
— Barbra Streisand
Our Vision
To create a world where every at-risk youth discovers their inner potential, thrives academically, and becomes a beacon of positive change within their communities, fostering a society built on empowerment, compassion, and collective growth.