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AIM High Overview

Advocacy, Inspiration & Mentorship

AIM High (13-18+)
AIM High+Plus (17-25+)

AIM High Overview

AIM High is a 7-week leadership program by The Noble Path Foundation. The AIM acronym stands for ADVOCACY, INSPIRATION and MENTORSHIP, and by pairing groups of teens with different leaders and advocates in our community each week, we encourage meaningful dialogues and thought-provoking conversations in order to inspire these types of mentoring relationships. Past speakers (and topics) have included the Wellness and Prevention Center (Self-Esteem and Social Media), Laura’s House (Teen Dating and Healthy Relationships), Waymakers and San Clemente Rotary (Leadership and Development), OC Sheriff’s Department (Trending Drug Cultures), The Noble Path Foundation (Nutrition and Body Image) and Partners4Wellness (Stress and Coping Skills).

In conjunction with the presentations are fun social activities the participants can enjoy and are encouraged to attend during the week to foster peer relationships: free yoga, music lessons and meditation practice on Wellness Wednesdays, or TGIF Friday events like karaoke, ping pong tournaments, gaming, or movie nights. The series concludes with a certification ceremony to share with family and city officials, plenty of food and drink, and the joy of celebrating lessons learned and friendships formed. The success of the program lies in the fact that many of the AIM High graduates return to volunteer and help mentor the next generation.

Sponsors & Partners

AIM High Team

AIM High Facilitator

Holly Grupe is a licensed therapist originally from Sacramento and now residing in beautiful San Clemente. In 2022, she opened Balanced Growth Counseling with a mission to support empathic and sensitive individuals facing anxiety, burnout and depression. While Holly mostly helps adults in her practice, with a bachelors in Child Development and experiences as a camp counselor and nanny, she remains passionate about supporting young people.

When she’s not working, Holly enjoys exploring new places, experimenting with recipes in the kitchen, and drinking too much coffee. Since 2022, she has been volunteering at The Noble Path Foundation, where she is thrilled to connect with the incredible teens, staff and fellow volunteers.

Dr Nate Balfanz has been practicing psychology in a variety of settings for nearly 20 years now. Currently, he splits his time between his position at Dr. Nate Psych and his secondary role as a pediatric and adolescent specialist at The Weichman Clinic, a multidisciplinary mental health clinic located within Hoag Hospital of Newport Beach. Nate opened his own private practice in San Clemente as a result of his lifelong pursuit for helping children, adults, and families manage their mental health struggles in order to live a more fulfilling life. At Dr. Nate Psych, he provides a variety of therapeutic services intended for children, individuals, and families of all types.

Starting late 2023, Nate has been a volunteer with TNPF, helping out during our social activities sharing his knowledge and expertise as a featured guest speaker with the AIM High program.  Nate focuses his discussions and speaking engagements primarily on the topics of social and emotional coping skills for adolescents and young adults, as well as coaching and support for parents navigating the inevitable challenges that come with raising a child in today’s world.

Testimonials

"I was at a crossroads with my daughter when Aim High was starting their new 7-week series. My daughter was bullied and gravitated towards the wrong crowd just to have friends. Her self-esteem was low and she struggled to find self-worth; although she's a brilliant child. Sadly, she experimented with drugs way sooner than I anticipated and as a parent, I was at a crossroads with my daughter. Something dramatic had to happen on my end, to save her from the possibility of a lifetime of drug addiction. I took her out of public school, opted for a home-school charter program, and supplemented her life with the valuable lessons she was learning through Aim High and activities from the Noble Path. My 13-year-old started to feel included, accepted, and valued again and I was able to pull her from the possibilities of hard-core addiction. Her experience with drugs was thankfully, just an experiment and a cry for acceptance from her peers. Aim High and The Noble Path built my daughter back up again and equipped her with lifelong coping skills. I am incredibly grateful for that difficult season as it was a valuable and beneficial time for my daughter's growth! I will forever appreciate Aim High and the thoughtful courses it provides!"
Christina M.
"AIM High has been a wonderful program for my son Brayden. He learned numerous life skills that will help him navigate relationships, school, and his future career. The program made him aware of the negative effects of social media and he is more mindful about his time on it. He really enjoyed touring the OBEY factory. He learned that a successful business needs to have a vision that impacts society in a positive way. Lastly, he loved all of the speakers and leaders. They really made him feel comfortable and welcomed. We are both so grateful to AIM High and the Noble Path."
Kelleen Casey Harmsen
"I would like to start by saying how much I appreciate the diligence of Teri Steel and the people who have worked with her to keep their focus on the passion of their vision. My 13-year-old grandson joined Noble Path and has finished two complete sessions of Aim High. He has enjoyed the people and the presentations that they have given. He has applied many of these lessons in his everyday life. There are many other activities Noble Path offers that he enjoys, such as working out with a coach. He looks forward to being there weekly! I am so grateful that these young adults have a place that is safe, fun, and educational in a very loving manner. I want to thank everyone involved and help the Noble Path stay alive."
Lynn Wirth
“I had such a fun and great time during the AIM High series at Noble Path. The amount of time and effort the people put into their presentation is amazing. I most enjoyed learning healthy eating habits with Cindi. Another thing that is great within the Noble Path is all the great activities they have. They are really engaging with the alumni making everyone have a great time.”
Alumni Gunner 13
"My 16 year old daughter participated in last session's AIM HIGH program. The importance of topics and coping strategies they cover is essential for all teens. Things that may not be easy for parents or are not taught in schools are supportively addressed. These topics are spoken about honestly, and earnestly, and help kids during their teen years to recognize healthy vs. unhealthy life challenges. So grateful!"
Julie Gruenhagen
“OK... so these past 7 weeks flew by!!! 😳 So proud of my girl for completing the AIM HIGH leadership program through The Noble Path Foundation.... if you don't know about this awesome nonprofit organization let me tell you this: THEY ARE ALL ABOUT TEENS... providing a safe, healthy and fun hang out for our teens, providing educational/awareness classes for our teens, proving our teens with valuable life skills and having a place where our teens can feel included, valued, supported, heard and be productive members of society.... I can not say enough good things about this program and their amazing volunteers that run it.”
Gabby Houk
“This program has been so valuable for my boys and family. They learned about so many health topics and even still carry many of the things they learned from this program with them today. The information that was given was relevant, professional and engaging. My boys enjoyed going to the program and it has impacted them positively socially and mentally. We are so grateful to have been introduced to the program.”
Jennifer Aquino
“We had two of our teens go through this program. They loved it so much, they chose to do it again! As we see our teens grow and change, we notice the difference in their decision making. It certainly gives us parents much more PEACE OF MIND when our child can say, “No” to the negative temptations that are influenced upon them during such a vulnerable time in their lives. It is SO crucial that not only teens get wise about poor lifestyle choices, but also for parents to put them on a path of many healthy lifestyle choices. These two things go hand-in-hand…And AIM High is the pathway! So, “Get with the program” Parent Peeps. AIM Higher for your children!”
Natalie McGinley
"This program has illustrated the importance of rejecting negative temptations that may be pressuring teens, and effectively demonstrates ways for students to help their peers to do the same."
Alumni Ashlyn
“Two of our teens participated in these wonderful programs. This is exactly what kids want and need- fun, free, and adventuresome activities and education to keep them busy and social. We are forever grateful to COA/TNPF that our kids feel safe to explore who they are without the pressures of substance use so they grow with vitality and self assurance!”
Susan and Michael Johnston