Pressures & Powerful Solutions: YF Innovators Showcase Recap 🎉
Young Futures Community,
A shorter note this week as our team takes some unplugged time to rest and connect with the people we love. Wishing you all a joyful and reflective 4th of July.
Last Wednesday, over 200 of you joined us for the YF Innovators Showcase, where our Under Pressure cohort shared how they’re helping teens navigate the relentless pressures that come along with being a teen today. And let’s be real, summer may mean no school, but the pressure doesn’t take a vacation. It follows teens wherever they go, showing up in their feeds at the beach, in their bedrooms, and everywhere in between.
From social media comparison to misinformation overload, the challenges are real. But solutions are out there. Here are a few moments from the showcase that left us inspired:
Reggie Rijkaard (Pause 4 Peace) reflected on how being bullied in high school shaped her mission to lead mindfulness and safe tech movements, and how social media would have only amplified that pain.
Maddie Freeman (NoSo), a recent college grad, shared her raw journey of how tech contributed to depression and social isolation, and how she turned that pain into purpose through her growing movement for social media detox and digital wellbeing.
Anahita Dalmia (Agents of Influence) took us back to the early days of the COVID-19 “infodemic” and demoed her team’s interactive game that helps teens spot and stop misinformation in its tracks.
And that’s just the beginning. This cohort is redefining what it means to unplug and connect:
At Lookupp, teens are holding each other accountable for screen time and deepening in-person friendships.
At California Partners Project, the Tech-Life Balance Series is giving parents new ways to support their kids—beyond the usual "put your phone away" standoff.
In case you missed it? The recording is live! Watch here to see all the projects and learn how you can support—or steal a few ideas for the teens in your life.
Here’s to a summer with less pressure and more time to just be.
Warmly,
Katya Hancock
CEO, Young Futures
Young Futures in the News
June 26, LinkedIn, What happens when porn becomes sex ed, and TikTok becomes your dating advice? Check out Katya’s post on how technology has transformed adolescent relationships. This is a topic we’re thinking a lot about at YF!
Young Futures Innovators in the News
Lonely Hearts Cohort YF Innovator Domenico Ruggerio of We Are Family (WAF) is creating a safe haven for Charleston’s LGBTQ+ youth with the We Are Family Center. Drawing from both community needs and personal insight, he demonstrates how inclusive spaces, like organizing hubs and support groups, can foster belonging and resilience.
Lonely Hearts Cohort YF Innovator Trisha Prabhu of ReThink Citizens and Under Pressure Cohort, Atiksh Bhan of Lookupp, and Matthew Stevens and Matthew Allaire of Design It For Us have all been chosen to be on the Sustainable Media Center’s NextGen Board to Advance a Human-Centered Digital Future.
Spotlight on Youth Voices
William Liang, a high school student from San Jose, California, argues that the education system is failing to adapt to AI because it still treats assignments as box-checking exercises rather than real learning opportunities. He points out the hypocrisy of punishing AI use while rewarding rushed, shallow work, suggesting schools should focus on in-class, observable thinking instead of take-home tasks easily outsourced to ChatGPT. His solution? Rethink assignments entirely—if AI can do it, the task isn’t measuring true understanding. The real question isn’t how to stop students from using AI, but how to redesign education so they don’t need to.
What We’re Reading (& Watching)
Gen Z Is Having Less Sex. Why? (NPR, Jun 23)
Tech Companies and Policymakers Must Safeguard Youth Mental Health in AI Technologies (The Jed Foundation, Jun 23)
[Watch] Age verification tool for social media ban misidentifies teens as 37-year-olds (ABC, Jun 21)
How Wicked Saints Studios Is Turning Gen Z Into Real-World Heroes—One Quest At A Time (Forbes, Jun 19)
Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,’ Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds (The New York Times, Jun 18)
Kids are Protesting ICE in Roblox (Teen Vogue, Jun 17)
Your Brain on ChatGPT (Substack - Phillip Alcock, Jun 16)
What’s Really Going On With AI In Schools? A High School Student’s POV (Forbes, Jun 14)
Big Tech Is Finally Losing (The New York Times, Jun 12)
Using Values-Alignment Messaging to Teach Healthy Digital Habits (Edutopia, Jun 12)
Snap Confirms 2026 Public Launch for Immersive Specs (Remix Reality, Jun 10)
AI Therapy Gets Its First Reality Check (Medium, Jun 9)
Exploring AI: "Schoolification" (Follow the Learning, May 29)
Empowering Learners for the Age of AI (AI Lit Framework, May 2025)
Friends of YF
The Active Minds Fall 2025 Internship Program is now accepting applications until July 9th, 2025! This opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, who want to gain hands-on nonprofit experience while advancing mental health awareness. Interns work 20 hours per week on meaningful projects across departments like development, information technology, marketing & digital media, public relations, social media, workforce development, and youth leadership, earning a $1,250 monthly stipend. If you're ready to build professional skills and contribute to a movement changing the conversation around mental health, apply now before the deadline!
The Jed Foundation is now accepting applications for the Summer 2025 National Mental Health Youth Advocacy Coalition (YAC) Internship, with a deadline of July 11, 2025. This six-week paid internship empowers undergraduate students to drive mental health change through advocacy, policy, and storytelling, offering expert mentorship and a structured curriculum. Selected interns will present their work at JED’s Annual Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., and participate in Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill, with travel and lodging provided for those outside the D.C. area. Open to rising freshmen, sophomores, and juniors enrolled in U.S. colleges, this hybrid program combines virtual sessions with key in-person events to equip young advocates with the skills to create a lasting impact. Apply now!
Funding Opportunities
The Decolonizing Wealth Project’s Youth Mental Health Fund is still accepting proposals with a submission deadline of July 10, 2025, at 5 PM Pacific for initiatives to expand access to culturally responsive mental health care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S.Organizations may apply for either Anchor Grants ($100,000–$250,000) or Opportunity Grants ($30,000–$100,000). Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Federally Recognized Tribes, and fiscally sponsored projects. For more information and to register for the upcoming information webinar on June 24, visit their application page.