Our Mission

We use online technologies to empower youth to make smart decisions, live healthy lives and contribute to their communities. We are driven by an underlying philosophy of self-care and self-empowerment.

WE BELIEVE

• Youth with smart information know how to make smart decisions.
• Youth can build the skills to live a healthy and meaningful life according to their own values.
• Youth who feel supported are motivated to take personal leadership and responsibility.

A healthy adult is a productive adult, uplifting themselves and their communities. Our virtual approach removes the barriers to reaching every teen, empowering them to build a better future.

IT STARTED WITH ONE VISION

Our founder Cathy Strachan Lindenberg trusted the wisdom of youth, and had the vision to use technology to put the decision-making power directly in their hands.

Research for TeenSmart’s approach to positive behavioral change began in the 1990s. Cathy Strachan Lindenberg, after a productive career in nursing and academia, bet on technology as the best way to reach teens. So she developed the first online platform with a group of 10 Emory University students.

TeenSmart attracted attention from major philanthropic organizations, registering as a nonprofit in the United States in 2002 and then Costa Rica in 2006. Through strategic partnerships and technological upgrades, our organization and youth-centered platform have grown ever since.

From the first pilot of the platform with 167 youth in Guatemala and Nicaragua to today with more than 80,000 users, TeenSmart has grown to actualize its vision.

WE ARE ON A PATH TO TRANSFORMATION

Moving forward, we are on a path to reach more teens in even more personalized ways, at even lower cost. Teens are smart and discerning and TeenSmart’s technology is upgrading to meet their needs through a digital transformation.

Reaching 1 million teens

More personalized
services

Micro-learning
messages

Gamification

Social media
integration

Artificial intelligence
chatbot

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE

WE ARE ON A PATH TO SCALE

With your gift you would be helping youth…..

$24

Sponsor a teen

$500

Sponsor a regional youth leadership meeting

$1000

Contribute to the technological improvement of the services

$5000

Sponsor a school

We are looking to reach more and more teens at even lower cost. But we need more support.

AWARDS

TeenSmart has been honored to be chosen for these prestigious awards, which have resulted in partnerships that have increased our capacity to reach and serve more teens throughout the Americas.

1st Place Carlos Slim Foundation Exceptional Health Institute Award for Latin America, 2016.

2nd Place JK Visionary Award from the InterAmerican Development Bank, 2018.

2nd Place Non-Profit with greatest social Impact in Latin America by VIVA Idea Schmidheiny, 2018.

Solver. MIT-SOLVE. Innovation that supports Equity Classrooms. 

Social Health Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean, that helps to reduce health inequity gaps. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO, WHO), 2023. 

Let’s get social!

TeenSmart is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and is legally registered in the United States, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Email: administracion@teensmart.net

Tel: (506) 2253-5618
Youth services website: www.JovenSalud.net