About youthink

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 journeymap graphic below for more information:

In the Onboard stage, teams complete key tasks to prepare for the youthink process.

In the Orient stage, teams get to know each other and the youthink process. Teams to narrow down the problem they will focus on throughout youthink.

In the Empathize stage, teams connect with people impacted by their problem and learn about their experiences and needs.

In the Define stage, teams analyze the information they’ve gathered from stakeholders and refine 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 create a small-scale representation of their idea to share with stakeholders. .

In the Test stage, teams gather feedback about their prototype and iterate to improve.

In the Sustain stage, teams share the story of their work and set goals for the future.

In the Onboard stage, teams complete key tasks to prepare for the youthink process.

In the Orient stage, teams get to know each other and the youthink process. Teams to narrow down the problem they will focus on throughout youthink.

In the Empathize stage, teams connect with people impacted by their problem and learn about their experiences and needs.

In the Define stage, teams analyze the information they’ve gathered from stakeholders and refine 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 create a small-scale representation of their idea to share with stakeholders. .

In the Test stage, teams gather feedback about their prototype and iterate to improve.

In the Sustain stage, teams share the story of their work and set goals for the future.