This toolkit helps your organization or community serve, work with, and empower young people to shape this moment – and our future.
Upcoming Trainings
FAQ
Who should use this toolkit
Who should use this toolkit
What's included
What's included
How to use this toolkit
How to use this toolkit
Get custom guidance from Gen Z
Get custom guidance from Gen Z
Why focus on youth?
Why focus on youth?
Why commemorate the 250th?
Why commemorate the 250th?
Why you can trust us
Why you can trust us
What happens after 2026?
What happens after 2026?
The Toolkit
The Toolkit
Find Your Starting Point
Find Your Starting Point
Assess your organization's readiness with the Gen Z Engagement Scorecard for institutions.
Assess your organization's readiness with the Gen Z Engagement Scorecard for institutions.
Get to Know Gen Z
What do young people want? This is your starting-line question. Read our guide to develop your best program. From here, you can dive into data, use our strengths-finding worksheet, or move on to program design.
What do young people want?
People of all ages tend to ask four key questions when it comes to participating in civic life: Is this for me? Do I know enough? Who else will be there? Why should I care?
These are user needs. By clearly answering these questions in programs and communications, organizations can attract younger audiences.
Use the drop-downs below to get a clearer picture of Gen Z's needs.
Who is Gen Z?
Who is Gen Z?
Let's Paint a Picture
Let's Paint a Picture
Research we love and trust
Research we love and trust
Design Your Program
Let's turn insight into action and design the most appealing possible program for younger generations. Many of these tips apply to all ages!
Don't want to start from scratch? Borrow pre-loved program ideas and templates from Made By Us and our partners.
Let's Design a Program
We asked our youth community to develop a checklist for youth-serving programs. Flip through for ideas and tips. Remember the acronym CLAP: Clear, Learnable, Actionable, and Personal.
We asked our youth community to develop a checklist for youth-serving programs. Flip through for ideas and tips. Remember the acronym CLAP: Clear, Learnable, Actionable, and Personal.
Idea Bank: ADAPT THESE PROGRAMS
Why reinvent the wheel? We’ve tested these programs with real people and real organizations. With attribution, you can use these as-is, as inspiration, or adapt to your community. We'll continue to add more templates here.
Civic Superpowers Quiz
Civic Superpowers Quiz
My Wish For U.S.
My Wish For U.S.
Get Youth Input
Including young people throughout the planning and design of your program is the most effective way to ensure a successful outcome. Here's how to do it well.
Including young people throughout the planning and design of your program is the most effective way to ensure a successful outcome. Here's how to do it well.
Tips for working intergenerationally
Activities to bond and plan together
You may hold a meeting, workshop or planning session to prepare how you'll mark the 250th. These activities are easy add-ons to your meetings to bolster common purpose, creativity and connection.
Read more about our regional, intergenerational Imagine and Incubate Workshops where we tested these strategies.
Use these slide decks as-is, or make a copy in Google Slides and revise as needed.
30 Minutes: Snowball Fight
Get the spooky scaries out and find common ground.
Slide Deck
30 Minutes: Meme Exchange
Are we even speaking the same language?
Slide Deck
60 Minutes: World Cafe
Small group discussions with large-group share-outs.
Slide Deck
You may hold a meeting, workshop or planning session to prepare how you'll mark the 250th. These activities are easy add-ons to your meetings to bolster common purpose, creativity and connection.
Read more about our regional, intergenerational Imagine and Incubate Workshops where we tested these strategies.
Use these slide decks as-is, or make a copy in Google Slides and revise as needed.
30 Minutes: Snowball Fight
Get the spooky scaries out and find common ground.
Slide Deck
30 Minutes: Meme Exchange
Are we even speaking the same language?
Slide Deck
60 Minutes: World Cafe
Small group discussions with large-group share-outs.
Slide Deck
Don't have access to youth?
Don't have access to youth?
Promote Your Program
Once you've built a program for and by youth, make sure youth can discover it and easily participate.
Once you've built a program for and by youth, make sure youth can discover it and easily participate.
Promote your program
Youth250 badges
If you've used this Toolkit, you're welcome to label your work as part of the Youth250 project, as a way of citation. Here are badges you can download.
If you've used this Toolkit, you're welcome to label your work as part of the Youth250 project, as a way of citation. Here are badges you can download.
track your impact
You did it! You took an important step toward creating a moment that serves younger people.
Did it work for you? Tell us in this form. We will continue to evolve this toolkit through 2026.
You did it! You took an important step toward creating a moment that serves younger people.
Did it work for you? Tell us in this form. We will continue to evolve this toolkit through 2026.
Bonus!
Mini-Kits
As more institutions opt to prioritize youth input, we're compiling resources into mini-kits to unblock common challenges.
As more institutions opt to prioritize youth input, we're compiling resources into mini-kits to unblock common challenges.
MINI-KIT
RAPID RESPONSE
What if something unexpected happens? Organizations can build their agility and responsiveness in advance. Check this slide deck of tips.
What if something unexpected happens? Organizations can build their agility and responsiveness in advance. Check this slide deck of tips.
What if something unexpected happens? Organizations can build their agility and responsiveness in advance. Check this slide deck of tips.
MINI-KIT
Create a Youth Advisory Board
Youth Advisory Boards (or Groups, Councils, Committees, etc.) are a great way to formalize youth input. They require thought and design to set up, and generate long-term benefits.
Youth Advisory Boards (or Groups, Councils, Committees, etc.) are a great way to formalize youth input. They require thought and design to set up, and generate long-term benefits.
Youth Advisory Boards (or Groups, Councils, Committees, etc.) are a great way to formalize youth input. They require thought and design to set up, and generate long-term benefits.
Contributors
Thanks to the many hands that have shaped this toolkit.
Thanks to the many hands that have shaped this toolkit.
Workshop Hosts
Atlanta History Center
Conner Prairie
Eastern State Penitentiary
Utah Historical Society
Future's Happening at Stanford d.school
Workshop Hosts
Atlanta History Center
Conner Prairie
Eastern State Penitentiary
Utah Historical Society
Future's Happening at Stanford d.school
Toolkit Advisors
Matt Champagne, Surratt House Museum
Ashley Clouse, Utah Historical Society
Ashleigh Coren, Smithsonian
Liz Covart, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Elizabeth Grant, Schultz & Williams
Claire Haley, Atlanta History Center
Emily Hermans, Texas Historical Commission
Meeghan Kane, South Carolina State Museum
Sam Moore, Missouri Historical Society
Orlando Serrano, National Museum of American History
Ryan Shank, Conner Prairie
Fernande Raine, History Co:Lab
Adam Rozan, National Museum of American History
Cainan Townsend, Moton Museum
Lance Wheeler, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Matthew Wilding, Revolutionary Spaces
Lauren Zalut, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
Toolkit Advisors
Matt Champagne, Surratt House Museum
Ashley Clouse, Utah Historical Society
Ashleigh Coren, Smithsonian
Liz Covart, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Elizabeth Grant, Schultz & Williams
Claire Haley, Atlanta History Center
Emily Hermans, Texas Historical Commission
Meeghan Kane, South Carolina State Museum
Sam Moore, Missouri Historical Society
Orlando Serrano, National Museum of American History
Ryan Shank, Conner Prairie
Fernande Raine, History Co:Lab
Adam Rozan, National Museum of American History
Cainan Townsend, Moton Museum
Lance Wheeler, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Matthew Wilding, Revolutionary Spaces
Lauren Zalut, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
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Made By Us © 2024
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Made By Us © 2024