THE YOUTHSCAN PROJECT
A statewide digital initiative that puts youth voices front and center in the decisions that impact their lives.
Youth identify current and emerging needs in real time, in their own words. Participants anonymously share their ideas and insights about strategies for prevention, ways to support impacted youth, policies to create change, and new innovative solutions to build a better future.
The YouthScan Project features an interactive dashboard that enables access for young people, youth-serving organizations, schools, advocacy groups, foundations, government and policymakers to learn directly from the youth they serve.
This project is being piloted across Colorado with over 700 youth. The dashboard is not yet available to the public, but coming soon!
AT A GLANCE
We partner with youth in classrooms, high schools, and youth-serving organizations across the state to create youth-generated insight on a meaningful scale in real time. The data informs decision-makers about the biggest needs facing youth, and taps into their insight on solutions. Everyone is trying to maximize the impact of limited resources. This project empowers youth to affect decisions about resources and strategies for change during a rapidly changing environment. Youth are living through additional unprecedented challenges due to our global pandemic. The YouthScan Project expands capacity to act with urgency at every level.
About the Project
The YouthScan Project is a data project that taps into the collective knowledge of young people.
Youth know the issues in their communities 3 years before adults. Why wait until 2026 to learn what youth are experiencing now?
The YouthScan Project takes youth aged 14 – 24 through an interactive 90-minute workshop to identify what they see as the top issue(s) facing youth in their community. The YouthScan Project provides a facilitator guide and all the logistical support needed to make it happen in any size youth-serving organization. Or, you can request one of our facilitators.
The YouthScan Project provides a free and accessible digital platform for youth to:
- Identify critical needs and solutions on issues in their community.
- Anonymously contribute their ideas to a publicly-accessible data dashboard, filterable by geography, demographics, issues and solutions.
- Learn about their peers’ point of view on community issues and use insight from The YouthScan Project in youth-led projects.
Our team will compile all the data and funnel that information back to organizations where youth are participating, and to decision-makers across philanthropy, government, education, and more. The wider community has access to real-time perspectives on emerging needs facing youth — the issues and ideas for solutions. The information will help target programs, funds, and initiatives to where they will make the biggest impact.
WHAT ARE YOUTH SAYING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE?
“I didn’t have the courage to step up and be a leader before. I didn’t have the bravery to start the conversation. Now, I can speak up, and loudly.”
“I loved the collaborative and youth-focused format of the workshop. The facilitators did an amazing job engaging the group and explaining the tasks at hand. I left the session feeling encouraged, motivated, and feeling like my voice is heard!”
“I loved the YouthScan Project I think it was a amazing way/idea to get involved as well as hear different perspectives and voices from others my age. It also helped me brainstorm ideas to improve our world in my future career.”
Our Funding Partners
The YouthScan Project is proud to be a recipient of grant funding from our current partners:
Caring for Colorado
Caring for Denver
Colorado Education Organizing (“CEO”) Funder Collaborative, a collaborative project of Rose Community
Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, Wend Collective, and RootED.
Rose Community Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation
The YouthScan Project is grateful to the following organizations for early stage funding to support the development and pilot of this project from:
Caring for Denver
Carson Foundation
Gates Family Foundation
FirstBank
The Education Innovation Fund, supported by Gates Family Foundation, Lyra Colorado, Empower Schools, RESCHOOL Colorado, the Donnell-Kay Foundation, Colorado Succeeds, and RootED.
And a special thanks to all funders supporting YouthRoots general operating. It is critical to the development of The YouthScan Project.