About youthink
What is youthink?
youthink is an innovation hub powered by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. We partner with youth-serving professionals and young people across the U.S. and its territories to use design thinking and other innovation principles to improve adolescent and young adult health. youthink receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs (OPA). We’re part of a larger network of innovation hubs working together to foster innovation in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. Read our FAQs to learn more.
Vision
We strive for a future where adolescents have the support, resources, and confidence to build their most brilliant futures.
Our Approach
At youthink, we believe everyone is an innovator. We support teams and individuals through a dynamic and impactful innovation process informed by design thinking. Design thinking is an innovative approach to problem solving that uses empathy and creativity to come up with meaningful solutions. Our hands-on training, coaching, and other offerings help you engage with community to understand needs and develop effective solutions — during youthink and beyond.
Guiding Principles
At youthink, we:
- Believe young people should lead the design of innovations that affect them
- Create space for a wide range of identities and experiences
- Encourage multidimensional approaches to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health
- See failure as an important part of learning and embrace the freedom to always re-examine our decisions and change our minds
- Communicate openly, work collaboratively, and value transparency with everyone we work
- Build spaces, processes, and innovations that are tailored to people’s needs and experiences
- Consider the potential unintended consequences of our work
- Take creative risks and stay brave, curious, and open-minded