For years, one question quietly lingered in New Braunfels: Where do teenagers go after the school day ends?
For younger children, there are camps, daycare programs, and endless activity options. But for middle and high school students, the choices narrow fast. For the team behind Mill Street Youth Center, that gap felt impossible to ignore, and today, they are transforming what support for local youth can look like.
The idea began with Gary Seals, who wanted to give back to the community. After conversations with community leaders and a needs assessment through the McKenna Foundation, one thing became clear: New Braunfels needed a dedicated space for teens.
“Once you hit fifth grade, the opportunities drop drastically,” said Executive Director Stacey Dicke.
That realization sparked what would become Mill Street Youth Center, a space built specifically for students in grades 6-12. The team found its home inside what used to be the New Braunfels Academy on Mill Street, which had been sitting vacant since 2019. After securing a 50-year lease with the district, the work began.
And what a project it became.
All in, the transformation of the historic building, including the renovation of the third floor, structural improvements, upgraded electrical and plumbing systems, new HVAC, furnishings, equipment, and first-year operating costs, represented a $16 million investment in the future of local youth.
That investment is already paying off.
The gym opened first in summer 2025, welcoming nearly 150 students weekly. Then came the highly anticipated opening of the main building in March, where students wasted no time making themselves at home.
“We had parents telling us their kids were texting them, ‘Don’t come get me yet. I’m not ready to go home,’” Dicke said with a laugh. “That’s what we wanted to hear.”
Today, more than 200 students are walking through Mill Street’s doors daily, spending time in spaces intentionally built to help them connect, learn, and grow.
And while fun is absolutely part of the equation, the mission runs much deeper.
Programming centers around four pillars: healthy lifestyles, wellness, academic success, and enrichment. Students can move from basketball games and fitness programs to cooking classes focused on nutrition, mindfulness workshops, leadership development sessions, and conflict resolution training.
Creative outlets are just as important, with art studios, photography workshops, podcast production, music recording, and digital storytelling classes giving students opportunities to explore new interests. They’re also developing real-world skills they can carry with them long after they leave the building.
“They’re learning skills so much earlier than most of us ever had the opportunity to,” Marketing Manager Carley Schmedt said. “By the time they get older, they’re already going to have this incredible foundation.”
The center is also preparing to launch a tutoring program this fall, pairing academic support with study habits and organizational skills that help students succeed well beyond the classroom.
Perhaps the biggest impact goes a bit deeper.
Students from different schools and backgrounds are building friendships. They are learning confidence. They are practicing independence, often without even realizing it.
“There really are no barriers to participation,” Dicke said, referencing Mill Street’s transportation program that picks students up from schools and central neighborhood locations.
For Dicke, the vision is simple: prepare young people for life beyond graduation.
“We want them ready,” she said.
At Mill Street Youth Center, New Braunfels is giving its next generation more than somewhere to go after school and during the summer. It is giving them a place to belong.