The Youth Sector Innovation Incubator, a transformative new initiative from NCS (National Citizen Service Trust) and CAST, is off to a promising start. With the aim of reimagining how young people engage with programs and activities, this project brings together diverse perspectives, cutting-edge digital expertise, and a deep commitment to meaningful youth engagement.
We are thrilled to be working alongside our digital partner, Yalla Cooperative, a global collective of web developers and designers operating across the UK, Gaza, and Germany. Together, we’ve joined forces with two dynamic youth organisations:
FotoNow CIC, a South West-based team of filmmakers, photographers, and educators dedicated to socially motivated creative projects.
Groundwork UK, with a wide array of programs, including teams devoted to helping young people shape their futures.
This diverse collaboration represents the core spirit of the Incubator—leveraging cross-sector innovation to address real challenges faced by young people today.
Phase 1: Discovery
We’ve just completed the Discovery Phase, the crucial first step in any design-led innovation project. Over the past two months, we’ve immersed ourselves in shared experiences, research, and deep discussions to gain clarity on the challenge at hand.
The question driving our work is clear yet complex:
How might we create live online experiences that engage young people who tend to avoid in-person programmes because they feel overwhelmed by new social settings and activities, often due to their introverted nature?
Our goal is to use digital tools to:
Foster a sense of connection akin to in-person team-building.
Encourage sustained engagement in youth programs, both online and offline.
Understanding the Challenge
This phase has been about digging deep into the “why” behind young people’s disengagement and exploring “how” we can use digital to address it. Through conversations and research sessions, we sought to bridge the gap between in-person and online experiences in meaningful ways.
Key insights emerged around creating environments that:
Offer connections to young people
Provide new ways to engage that feel authentic, approachable, and flexible.
Empower youth organisations to design these experiences effectively.
Understanding the Environment
To address our challenge, we needed a thorough understanding of the landscape in which we’re working. This involved asking big-picture questions:
What types of youth programs are we addressing?
How do these run differently in-person vs. online?
What does “youth program” mean to the people we support?
This step wasn’t just about defining terminology; it was about aligning our team’s perspectives and developing a shared understanding of the broader context.
Exploring the Digital Landscape
Next, we mapped the current digital environment, focusing on platforms and tools young people already use. This involved asking questions like:
What platforms do young people prefer and why?
What features and benefits do these platforms provide?
How can these insights inform our own digital solution?
This analysis gave us valuable data on what works—and doesn’t—in creating online experiences that resonate with young people.
Understanding Our Users
At the heart of this project are the young people we aim to serve. Working with co-design groups and broader youth audiences, we developed User Personas to capture their needs, motivations, and frustrations.
Key questions guided this process:
What are their goals? What do they want to achieve from an online program?
What motivates them? Why do they seek connection or avoid certain activities?
What are their pain points? What makes current experiences feel overwhelming or inaccessible?
Through this work, we’ve broken the challenge into three actionable questions:
How might we use digital to provide activities and connections in ways that work for more introverted young people?
How might we create less overwhelming online experiences to encourage engagement?
How might we empower youth organisations to deliver engaging, live online experiences?
Understanding the Problem
Defining the problem in detail was a critical part of the Discovery Phase. We explored the following:
Why do we want to solve the problem? Because every young person deserves to feel seen, supported, and connected in ways that suit their unique personalities and preferences.
Why do young people want us to solve the problem? They desire authentic, accessible spaces that don’t feel intimidating or overwhelming, where they can connect with peers and grow.
What challenges do young people face when organisations try to provide live online experiences? Common issues include lack of meaningful interaction, overwhelming or impersonal platforms, and digital solutions that fail to replicate the engagement of in-person programs.
By mapping the problem, we ensured that our efforts remain focused and rooted in real-world needs.
Understanding the Young People: Co-Design and Surveys
Young people are not just participants in this project—they’re collaborators. Throughout this process, we have recruited a core group of young people from across our partner organisations. Additionally, we’ve consulted with broader youth groups to test our assumptions and refine our approach.
This co-design model has been invaluable, allowing young people to:
Act as a sounding board throughout the Discovery Phase.
Help define user needs and identify challenges.
Provide feedback that keeps the project grounded in their lived experiences.
This collaborative approach will continue to guide the project through every stage of development.
Looking Ahead: Ideation
With the Discovery Phase complete, we are ready to move into the Ideation Phase. This next step involves distilling everything we’ve learned so far into actionable ideas. We will begin generating ideas and prototyping solutions that address the challenges young people face and empower organisations to deliver transformative live online experiences.
Stay tuned for more updates!
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