Everything You Need to Know About Us

youthink is led by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Health at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in collaboration with the CHLA Innovation Studio.

youthink is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs (OPA) through its Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program. This funding supports organizations working to reduce unintended teen pregnancy, decrease sexually transmitted infections, address associated risk and protective factors, and promote positive youth development and adolescent health.

We are looking for teams who are passionate about improving the health of young people in their community. You should apply to join youthink if you:

• Are part of a team of 3-5 people, ages 18+, that can be supported by an organization
• Have at least one youth member on your team (ages 18-25)
• Are in the United States and its territories
• Need support and resources to address a challenge in adolescent and young adult health
• Enjoy learning, being flexible, thinking creatively, and trying new things 
• Are ready to work with us for 8 months for about 20 hours per month

Your team should include 3-5 members, including: 

• One “team lead” who: 
  • Communicates with youthink staff
  • Assists with reporting and managing youthink funds
  • Keeps their team involved and active
• At least one or more youth member (ages 18 -25)

Yes, each team needs an organization that can serve as a fiscal sponsor that is: 

• A legally recognized entity (e.g., non-profit organization, school, college, university, hospital or health organization, government agency)
• Able to receive and manage funds from youthink on behalf of the team
• Responsible for financial reporting and accountability

No. Your team does not need to have funding from any source including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs or Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program grants to apply.

We’re looking for teams that:

• Are passionate, open-minded, and excited about tackling complex challenges affecting the health of young people in their community
• Represent the communities or lived experiences of the communities they serve
• Include at least one member aged 18-25
• Are eager to learn and create innovative solutions

By participating in youthink, your team will gain a wealth of valuable experiences, skills, and resources including:

• Innovation expertise: Learn and apply design thinking skills to identify and solve problems in human-centered, creative ways, understand experiences and needs, and develop and test creative solutions.
• New adolescent health perspectives: Apply positive youth development and youth engagement concepts.
• A dedicated support network: Work with changemakers and get guidance from experts, including a coach dedicated to your team’s success.
• Funding: Receive up to $50,000 for personnel, incentives, and other innovation needs.
• Hands-on learning: Engage in 12 hours of virtual training, weekly coaching calls, and 2 fully funded in-person events.
• Lasting impact: Develop ideas that will help young people in your community and beyond.

Teams can focus on a variety of issues affecting adolescent and young adult health such as:

• Supporting youth mental health
• Substance use prevention
• Addressing gaps in services or curriculum, particularly for specific populations
• Developing interventions tailored for rural communities
• Helping parents and caregivers to navigate sensitive conversations with their children

The application and selection process for youthink is designed to identify teams that are well-suited to develop innovative solutions for adolescent and young adult health challenges. Here’s a step-by-step overview of what to expect:

• Accepting Applications (April): Teams submit their applications through Ideawake from April 1st to April 23rd. We encourage teams to apply early to allow staff time to review your application thoroughly and to provide your team with the best chance to move forward in the selection process.
• Reviewing Applications (May): youthink staff, subject matter experts, and external advisors review each application to see how well it aligns with youthink‘s goals, vision, and guiding principles. We look for teams to interview that are addressing a gap in the field, represent the communities they serve, and center the voices of young people.
• Interviewing and Selecting Teams (June): youthink staff interview selected teams to gain a deeper understanding of their ideas, commitment, team dynamic, and innovation potential. youthink staff choose teams based on their application and interview, as well as other factors such as geography, topic relevance, cohort composition, and team readiness.
• Notifying Applicants (Early July): Teams will be notified about youthink’s final decision. If chosen, your team will start the onboarding process in anticipation of the program beginning in September.

Your team will work with youthink for 8 months. Each team member will spend approximately 20 hours per month on youthink activities (excluding in-person events requiring travel), depending on their role. This will also include completing independent work and deliverables related to the youthink process as well as the core offerings below:

• A 90-minute virtual onboarding meeting
• 12 hours of live virtual trainings
• 2 fully funded in-person events (2-3 days plus travel time)
• Weekly coaching calls

At the end of the youthink cohort, you will have developed and tested a prototype – or physical representation of your solution (such as a journeymap, video, outline, storyboard, sketch, flyer, or advertisement) – that addresses the challenge your team focused on and that was informed by users or stakeholders each step of the way.

• July – August 2025: Onboarding paperwork
• September 2025: Cohort launch and in-person orientation event in Los Angeles, CA
• October 2025 – April 2026: youthink program (regular training, independent work, etc.)
• February 2026: In-person training event (location to be announced)

youthink will provide funding as a subcontract to your organization or fiscal sponsor. If you are selected to join youthink, your organization or fiscal sponsor will be asked to complete or provide the following documents:

• Subcontract commitment form (form provided)
• Budget and justification (template provided)
• Federal indirect cost rate agreement (if you have one)

Yes. The youthink team will work with you to create a budget based on your needs during the program that ensures all funds are spent during the 8-month period.

Yes.

No, you don’t need an idea yet. youthink will help teams explore their problem and develop innovative solutions.

youthink is not the right fit if your team already has a developed solution that you would like to focus on. If you have an existing product or intervention, consider a hybrid or accelerator hub.

• Application Link: youthink.ideawake.com
• Website: youthink.health
• Email: youthink@chla.usc.edu
• Informational Webinar Recording: View Webinar
• Application Office Hours:
  • April 10, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT (Zoom Registration Link)
  • April 18, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PT (Zoom Registration Link)
  • April 22, 2025, noon – 1:00 p.m. PT (Zoom Registration Link)