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Commitment supports early-stage organizations with solutions to ease the pressures youth face in today's tech-driven world
Young Futures and the Center for Digital Thriving Announce $1 Million Funding Challenge for Non-Profits to Alleviate Digital Tension for Preteens and Teens
Young Futures, a non-profit dedicated to making the digital world an easier place to grow up, today announced the launch of Under Pressure: a funding challenge calling for solutions that alleviate the pressures teens and preteens face in navigating today's tech-driven world. In collaboration with the Center for Digital Thriving (CDT), a research and innovation center based at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education, this $1 million open funding call seeks to fund and provide catalytic support for 10 solutions that address digital tension and help young people thrive. Young Futures is seed-funded by Pivotal Ventures, Susan Crown Exchange, and The Goodness Web.
The Young Futures Listening Tour sought to better understand the complexities of growing up in a digital world, revealing that many 10-19-year-olds are navigating heightened pressures to be exceptional and perform constantly. CDT has collaborated with teens to identify different types of pressures that many preteens and teens experience, including the pressure to have a future path figured out, the pressure to maximize academic achievements, appearance pressure, and more. Through the funding challenge, Young Futures aims to identify and support solutions that provide release valves to ease the stress of growing up in an always-online world.
“Today's preteens and teens are navigating complex digital landscapes that can both magnify pressures while simultaneously providing safe spaces,” said Kristine Gloria, PhD, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Innovation at Young Futures, and leader of the Young Futures Listening Tour. “The teens we spoke to were clear that growing up in today’s digitally driven environment meant constantly calculating the various risks and rewards of engaging online–from protecting their privacy to reputation management.”
“We are thrilled to support the critical work Young Futures is doing to address the pressures that young people face in our digital world,” said Celine Coggins, PhD, CEO of The Goodness Web. “It is essential that we invest in solutions that not only ease these pressures but also empower them to thrive. Young Futures’ commitment to elevating impactful, youth-centered solutions is exactly what is needed to build a healthier, more supportive environment for teens, preteens, and the adults who love them.”
Young Futures is particularly interested in partnering with organizations that directly address digital tension, meet youth where they are, demonstrate proven impact, and support positive youth development. Eligible solutions may include tech-driven platforms, in-person or online programs, or hybrid approaches that benefit both youth and the trusted adults in their lives.
“Elevating young people’s voices is a pillar of our work at the Center for Digital Thriving, and we have collaborated with Young Futures to share research that provides even greater visibility into what teens are going through – we need to have the right conversations to elevate the right solutions,” said Emily Weinstein, Co-Founder & Executive Director at the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education. “We look forward to seeing how the Under Pressure funding challenge leverages this informed perspective to catalyze organizations that will truly meet young people’s needs.”
Grant recipients will be selected as the next cohort of Young Futures (YF Innovators) and participate in the Young Futures Academy (YF Academy), a five-month program designed to help leaders level up their organizations and make an even bigger impact. The YF Academy is focused on fostering community and features a curriculum built around leadership, fundraising and revenue generation, storytelling & communication, and subject-matter expertise.
Grantees will join the growing YF Innovators ecosystem, which includes organizations like #HalfTheStory, 3G, Rethink Citizens, and Weird Enough Productions from the first funding challenge, The Lonely Hearts Club, which centered on social connection, teen belonging, and wellbeing.
Those interested in applying are encouraged to attend an info session on September 12, 2024, and subscribe to Young Futures' newsletter. A complete overview of grant criteria can be found at https://www.youngfutures.org/funding-challenge/.
About Young Futures
Young Futures (YF) is a non-profit seeking to make the digital world an easier place to grow up. YF provides a social compass for teens and families navigating the tech-driven world by supporting emerging non-profits working tirelessly to help young people and their families not just survive but flourish as a team when navigating the uncertainties of the digital wilderness. Young Futures is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Its principal sponsors include Pivotal Ventures, Susan Crown Exchange, and The Goodness Web.
About Center for Digital Thriving
The Center for Digital Thriving is a research and innovation center at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our mission is to create knowledge and research-based resources that help people — especially youth — thrive in a tech-filled world. We believe the path to thriving with tech is paved with good insights, not just good intentions. Everything we do is about helping to uncover those insights and bring them to life. Learn more about our Center, which is proudly housed at Project Zero: https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu/
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