About youthink

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Our Vision

We strive for a future where adolescents have the support, resources, and confidence to build their most brilliant futures.

What is youthink?

At youthink, we believe everyone is an innovator. youthink Incubator Hub is a cohort program that partners with organizations across the United States and its territories to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges in adolescent and young adult health. youthink supports teams through an 8-month process – by providing training, coaching, funding, and more – to help them design and test groundbreaking ideas.

youthink is powered by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and receives funding from the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs (OPA). We are part of a larger network of Innovation Hubs working together to foster innovation in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program. Read our FAQs to learn more about youthink.

What is the youthink process?

The youthink process is grounded in design thinking. Over the course of 8 months, youthink teams will:

  • Gain a deeper understanding of their community’s needs
  • Brainstorm ideas for improving the health of young people
  • Build and test a possible solution
  • Receive up to $50,000 to bring their innovations to life
  • Get guidance from coaches, trainers, and subject matter experts

youthink trainers and coaches provide continuous support, guiding teams through each key milestone in the process.

Take a look at our youthink journey map graphic below for more information:

  • In the Onboard stage, teams complete onboarding paperwork.
  • In the Orient stage, teams get acquainted, learn about the youthink process, and hone their focus area.
  • In the Empathize stage, teams connect with stakeholders and learn about their experiences and needs.
  • In the Define stage, teams analyze the information they’ve gathered from stakeholders and clearly define their problem.
  • In the Ideate stage, teams brainstorm ideas for how to solve their problem and choose one idea to develop further.
  • In the Prototype stage, teams build a small-scale representation of their idea to share with stakeholders.
  • In the Test stage, teams share their prototype with stakeholders, listen to feedback, and refine it.
  • In the Sustain stage, teams deliver a presentation about their work and set goals for the future.
  • In the Onboard stage, teams complete onboarding paperwork.
  • In the Orient stage, teams get acquainted, learn about the youthink process, and hone their focus area.
  • In the Empathize stage, teams connect with stakeholders and learn about their experiences and needs.
  • In the Define stage, teams analyze the information they’ve gathered from stakeholders and clearly define their problem.
  • In the Ideate stage, teams brainstorm ideas for how to solve their problem and choose one idea to develop further.
  • In the Prototype stage, teams build a small-scale representation of their idea to share with stakeholders.
  • In the Test stage, teams share their prototype with stakeholders, listen to feedback, and refine it.
  • In the Sustain stage, teams deliver a presentation about their work and set goals for the future.