Youth Leaders
ReThink Citizens is a nonprofit that aims to educate and empower today's youth to build the internet that they deserve.
About the ReThink Citizens Youth Coalition
We launched the ReThink Citizens Youth Coalition to make responsible tech changemaking accessible and attainable for today's youth. Over an 8-week period, selected Coalition members will participate in the “RCYC Innovator Academy,” which will offer them the crucial know-how they need to kickstart their innovation journey. Participants will explore topics like how to develop a minimum viable product (MVP), as well as connect with responsible technology leaders. Last year’s lineup featured Monica Lewinsky, Frances Haugen, Arturo Béjar, and youth leaders from LOG OFF and Design It For Us, among others.
At the end of the program, participants will share their visions and progress during our culminating virtual showcase.
Over 8 weeks (February - April 2026), participants will:
- Attend two sessions each week (15 sessions total, with one self-paced, asynchronous session) focused on exploring the know-how you need to kickstart your innovation journey
- Envision, design, build, or iterate on a digital changemaking project (depending on the stage of your project)
- Engage in peer feedback sessions and group-wide mentorship opportunities
- Present their work at the end-of-program showcase
What Participants Will Gain
- Experience envisioning and/or building a solution that makes the digital world a better place
- Mentorship and know-how from peers and responsible tech experts
- An honorarium to support their program participation
Two Pathways
The Youth Coalition offers two participation pathways:
Youth Innovators: Middle and high school students who want to explore their ideas for building a better digital world. Innovators may start with an early-stage idea or refine an existing solution. We're interested in ideas and solutions of all kinds, whether an app or policy campaign.
Youth Leaders: College students and recent graduates (25 and younger) who bring technical, creative, or leadership expertise. Leaders will work on their own digital changemaking projects while mentoring Youth Innovators and hosting skill-sharing sessions.
Timeline
• Applications close: Saturday, November 15, 2025
• Notification of acceptances: Week of December 1st, 2025
Have any questions? Check out our FAQs doc to learn more about the program! For all the details (important dates, program overview, submission guidelines, etc.), please review our Call for Applications. You can also review the full list of application questions before submitting your responses.
If you have a question that's not addressed in any of our application materials, please reach out to Youth Coalition Program Manager Marrow Woods at marrow.woods@rethinkcitizens.org.