Building Community
Building Community both within New Perspectives and the larger community around us is crucial to our mission. As clients learn the life skills for apartment living, they also learn the importance of building up a community around them.
Community within New Perspectives
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Community Space
One of the New Perspectives contracted apartments is set aside as a community space. The kitchen and main room are available for rec nights, lunches, clubs, etc.
Each of the apartment’s bedrooms is set aside as an office for staff to meet with clients about wellness, medication management, and more. -
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Community Lunch
Lunch is served four days of the week at the community space for clients and staff. Each meal is prepared by students & staff, and includes menu items recommended by the wellness team.
The intention of the lunches is to offer healthy meals and an opportunity to meet with the New Perspectives community in a casual setting. No clients or staff are required to attend. -
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Rec Nights & Classes
Once a week the New Perspectives staff plan activities for the clients to participate in. These activities can range anywhere from a night playing games to a night out to the theater!
Included as rec night activities or as separate opportunities, clients are able to take classes to learn new skills. Some of our past art classes were taught by client parents, including hat making and ukulele making!
No clients are required to attend. -
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Clubs
The clubs at New Perspectives are different from Rec Nights and classes because they are client-led! Staff are available to support and provide resources. Some of the current and past clubs include cooking club, hiking club, rock climbing club, movie club, sports club, and more!
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Dungeons & Dragons
Currently we have two D&D groups at New Perspectives! One group runs a long-term campaign for more experienced players. The other group plays episodic adventures for new players to jump in and out of, and learn as they go!
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Roommate Mentors
The residential mentors at New Perspectives support a community environment for their apartment. This includes attending and/or planning roommate activities, like movie nights or roommate dinners. Clients are not required to attend, but we hope they’ll want to, since our mentors are pretty great!
Utah Valley Community
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Apartment Complexes
As clients become more comfortable with apartment living, they will discover that they have a built in community around them. Both apartment complexes that New Perspectives contracts with provide activities for tenants beyond the amenities provided.
Amenities for the apartments include several common spaces that support community building, including game rooms, study rooms, gyms, and lounge rooms. -
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LQBTQIA+ Community Spaces
Throughout both Salt Lake & Utah Counties, there are several hidden gem spaces dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community. New Perspectives provides transportation to nearby locations for social nights that match the population of our clientele.
The Kreative Space vends at as many Pride Festivals & markets as possible throughout the year. -
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Public Transport Access
All New Perspectives buildings are located within a mile of the Orem Central Station, which is hub for all UTA buses, TRAX, FrontRunner, and the Utah Valley Express (UVX) line. This convenient location provides access to all major cities in Utah & Salt Lake Counties, as well as all of the activity locations of Orem & Provo.
Staff will support clients as they learn to use public transport until the clients are comfortable using it on their own. -
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Volunteering
A major part of becoming a part of a community is giving back to it. At New Perspectives & the Kreative Space, clients are given the opportunity to volunteer or donate to local places. This volunteer work can be a part of their goals towards getting a job, or can be a way to finding connection to community.
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Utah Valley University
UVU is conveniently located either a short walk or bus ride from any New Perspectives building, and offers many community activities and events to the public. Besides the Museum of Art, ballparks, climbing gym, and adventure center, the UCCU Center hosts a variety of entertainment, including touring shows, sporting events, family shows, and trade expos.
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Salt Lake City
With the Orem Central Station within a mile of the New Perspectives buildings, Salt Lake City is within reach. In Salt Lake clients can find concerts, restaurants, museums, the planetarium, and more.
SLC doesn’t even have to be the destination! On the FrontRunner ride from Orem to SLC you can find Thanksgiving Point, the Loveland Aquarium, amusement parks, and more!
Meet the Activities & Mentors Team
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Jess Baird
Lead Life Coach & Activities Coordinator
Jess has worked in the mental health field as a coach since 2016. She works with neurodivergent individuals because she feels as though there is a lot to be learned from them and her work is always very interesting.
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Jesse Gibbons
Academic & Financial Coach
Jesse not only teaches the Financial Literacy courses at New Perspectives, but works 1:1 with students on their money management. Jesse is also the academic tutor for students at New Perspectives completing high school classes or studying for their GED.
Jesse attends and provides transportation to local LGBTQIA+ events.
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Kyndra Burke
Residential Mentor & Life Coach
Kyndra is a residential mentor at New Perspectives, meaning she has a private bedroom in an apartment with several students. She supports the students as both an example and a guide as they practice life skills—for example: cooking, grocery shopping, using public transport, and more.
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Tanaya Heninger
Mentor
Tanaya’s role as mentor is to provide students will support as they practice life skills. She is passionate about working with neurodiverse individuals because they offer valuable insight into the human experience. She feels through her interactions with them, she has gained significant knowledge on how to navigate her own life.
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Parker Robinson
Mentor & Kreative Space Certified Job Coach
Outside of coaching at the Kreative Space, Parker supervises the hiking club and game nights.
Parker is the Dungeon Master for the long-term campaign D&D group.
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Tyler Robinson
Mentor & Personal Training Assistant
As the personal training assistant, Tyler works out alongside students. Tyler also cooks with students for the community space lunches.
Tyler is the Dungeon Master for the episodic D&D group. -
Erin O'Donnell
Residential Mentor & Kreative Space Shop Coach
Outside of coaching at the Kreative Space, Erin supervises the rock climbing & hiking clubs. She is a residential mentor, and supports students attending religious services.
Do LGBTQIA+ Community Spaces exist in Utah?
Yes! And we have some favorites!
Not only are there local events all over, both on and off the nearby university campuses, there are businesses throughout Utah & Salt Lake counties openly showing their support!
Some of our favorite places are the queer bookstores throughout the valley, like Under the Umbrella and Legendarium in SLC. Unfortunately, our favorite queer bookstore local to the Orem/Provo area just closed, and we’re waiting for info on their new location!
There are coffee shops all over Utah & Salt Lake Counties dedicated to providing safe places for the LGBTQIA+ population to gather.
The Kreative Space vends the items created by the students at every possible Pride event throughout the year—and there are a lot of them! From the first Pride event of the year, typically Davis County Pride in May, all the way through the Holi-Gay Market in December. Students who work at the Kreative Space booth have the opportunity to walk around the festivals/markets, and transportation is available for any other clients who wants to come!
Get a Consultation
info@npya.net
(801) 360-7211
1111 S 1350 W Ste F30
Orem, Utah 84058
Office Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00 am–5:00 pm (MDT)