FAQS

Catapult is a cutting-edge, AI-powered learning platform built to equip trauma-impacted teens and young adults with the necessary skills they need to prepare for a real-world career. Catapult offers a strategically designed curriculum that introduces participants to the big four career pathways – Trade School, Military, Technology Upskilling, and Entrepreneurship. Administrators access valuable backend data on the platform to maximize program effectiveness.

While college is briefly discussed, Catapult helps students explore the 'Big Four' postsecondary pathways: Trade Schools, Military Service, Technology Upskilling, and Entrepreneurship. Each section includes videos, interactive exercises, and mentor-led discussions. Students also gain access to AI-generated mentors and videos based on real-life individuals, who can answer their questions about thousands of career pathways.

We recommend beginning no earlier than the 7th grade. Both middle and high school students, as well as transition-aged young adults (18+) facing adversity, are encouraged to participate. In the 2025-2026 year, our youngest user so far has been 13, and our oldest was 26.

The timeline varies, from as short as 4 weeks to as long as 16 weeks. The platform’s agile design allows partner organizations and schools to move quickly or take their time, depending on available schedules and program goals.

Catapult follows a blended learning methodology. Mentors receive professional development support from AAI, and we recommend either group or one-on-one check-ins for best results. Parents or other guardians also receive Mentor Guides to ensure they know how to position their son or daughter successfully. While students can use the platform on their own, most benefit from the accountability and encouragement of one or more trusted adults to stay engaged and complete the experience.

Yes. Catapult is fully cloud-based and mobile-friendly, allowing students and mentors to log in from any location on any device with internet access. Users can access Catapult on desktop and laptop computers, tablets, or smartphones. Accessing CatapultEducationGroup.com through the Chrome browser is recommended.

Most organizations complete onboarding within 3 business days of our receipt of your onboarding document. AAI provides all necessary training materials, mentor guides, and access credentials to help your team launch smoothly.

Mentors drive the success of Catapult. They may be parents, guardians, program staff, law enforcement officers, or any caring adult dedicated to helping a teen stay on track. Each mentor receives a 30-page, teacher’s guide–style PDF that walks them through every step of the process. The guide includes specific conversation starters, activity prompts, and accountability checklists to help mentors keep students motivated and ensure they complete the program.

To set everyone up for success, Catapult offers student kickoff events—held in person across southern Nevada and available online nationwide via Zoom webinars—where mentors and students learn how to use the platform effectively and begin their journey together with confidence.

For the 2025–2026 school year, AAI is pleased to offer the Catapult Initiative at no cost, thanks to the Educational Equity Award grant from Amazon Web Services.

AAI partners with nonprofits and public entities serving teens and young adults facing challenges such as foster care involvement, poverty and housing insecurity, juvenile justice participation, recovery from substance use, and teen pregnancy and parenting. We also welcome Title I middle and high schools, municipal programs, and state agencies (including police departments and youth opportunity organizations) to explore partnership opportunities.

Book a free exploration meeting with AAI to learn more and confirm eligibility: Schedule a meeting here: https://calendly.com/connect-with-pamela/american-access-institute-partners-meeting

Yes. Partner organizations receive secure access to backend dashboards on the Catapult platform showing engagement data, progress reports, and completion metrics to help them measure success and meet reporting goals.

Catapult is fully Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliant. We do not collect full student names and never sell data. Each user (student or mentor) simply needs a unique email address to be onboarded. The platform tracks key engagement metrics—such as time spent on activities, responses to career interest inventories, and completion rates—then reports aggregated data to organizational administrators to help measure impact. Partners tell us this reporting element is a huge time-saver for them in terms of administrative reporting, fundraising development using our charts and graphs, and more.

At the present time, AAI does not support individuals outside our partner programs. Visit our Partners Page to connect with an affiliated organization that can include you in their cohort—we’d love to see you benefit from Catapult through one of them.