Local Teen Hopes to Bring Teen Center to Brighton

At just 14, Brighton teen Scott Mixer has already designed websites, started his own production company and is currently fundraising for his new non-profit organization with the hope of bringing a teen center to downtown Brighton.

With the vision of creating a collaborative workspace for teens, The Colab, short for collaboration, will be a welcoming spot for students in the community.

“Right now there's just no real good place to go for students," Mixer said. "Brighton is a great city, but we want a place just for students." 

To help raise funds for his project, the young entrepreneur was approved by the City of Brighton for a peddlers permit to start Colab Coffee, a mobile coffee cart, that will be placed in front of welcoming business locations during community events.

The Flex Tech High School student hopes to raise enough money to lease a space for the next year and although there is no target date or space yet, Mixer said he hopes to find a location in downtown Brighton ideal for a casual, hangout space for teens.

"The set up will be like a coffee shop, but I don't want a student to feel like they have to come in and buy a coffee to be at the space," Mixer said. 

Focusing on providing a safe, comfortable environment, Mixer also has plans to include a production technology space, providing his own equipment for workshops and learning projects.

Local business that Mixer has approached about The Colab idea have been supportive, according to the teen, and have offered help with future fundraising efforts.

The Colab Coffee stand will be selling drinks and snacks at several local events throughout the summer with all the proceeds going to the nonprofit, but the project is also taking donations through the website.

For more information, visit The Colab's Facebook page for updates.