YMCA Changemakers

How can we empower youth to become engaged in their community?

Historically, youth have been the largest agents of change in their communities. Despite the interest that many young people have in becoming “changemakers,” they often don't have the resources or knowledge to become more active in their community. Through the YMCA Changemakers initiative, the team developed the idea of a Changemakers Summer Camp, where people could learn about the human-centered design process. The camp would have design thinking workshops and empathy-building as well as rotational volunteering through local organizations. Additionally, it would be completed remotely through an online certification program.

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Final Presentation from DFA Expo

Spring 2020

Final Deliverable for DFA National Expo

Spring 2020

Context

Gen Z Trends

Historically, youth are the biggest agents of change in their community
Despite this, many young people do not have the knowledge or tools to create change in their community.
Also, many of them feel like their voice does not matter and don't know how to channel their personal passions towards community issues.

YMCA

The YMCA is one of the largest youth-focused organizations in the world, but it has seen a drop in youth membership.
Currently, the YMCA has a Youth & Government initiative that allows young people to pass the legislature and play an active role in their local government
While this program does encourage young people to play an active role in their community, the program is mostly for students who already involved in their community and had some knowledge on how to create positive change.

Immersion

Research

The team gathered both quantitative and qualitative data
- They interviewed students, directors, and organizers that were involved in the Youth & Government (Y&G) to learn more about their experiences with the program and what they defined as "community engagement"
- They did secondary research about the origin of community engagement in children and about the current reach of Y&G program

Ideation

Key Takeaway: A YMCA Summer Camp about design thinking would allow kids to have the tools they need to enact change in their community. It would also create a "changemakers" community that would allow young people to connect.

Implementation

The YMCA Changemakers Summer Program would be a 2-week camp that would allow students to learn about the design thinking process and play an active role in their community through volunteering. The prototype above is a walkthrough of what a young person would experience if they attended the camp.

The camp can also be completed online through the certification program. The online course would include a variety of exercises, such as community workshops, speaker series, and empathy building. Each week, students would complete a module and a homework assignment in order for reinforce the information being taught. After every module, there would also be a workshop where students can connect online and form a community

Next Steps

Implementation

Figure out logistics for the summer program, such as costs, location, and timeframe
Use the feedback from DFA National and YMCA Directors and continue to progress the prototype