Strategic Thinking Tools
YC² provides innovative Strategic Thinking Tools designed to help youth deeply analyze civic challenges, uncover root causes, and identify leverage points for meaningful change. These powerful analytical methods, including our proprietary “12 Lenses,” empower students to collaboratively develop and implement actionable strategies that directly address and solve pressing community and societal issues.
Our Strategic Thinking Tools, rooted in analytical rigor and practical application, form the backbone of YC² programming. These tools guide students beyond surface-level understanding, empowering them to dissect intricate civic issues, design systemic solutions, and effectively mobilize their ideas into real-world outcomes, developing skills essential for college, career, and lifelong civic participation.
Projects
YC² teams actively engage in impactful, youth-led projects addressing environmental sustainability, social justice, community revitalization, and local governance. Each project emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and measurable outcomes, preparing students with skills critical for college, vocational paths, and future careers. Explore transformative initiatives across rural, urban, and environmentally focused communities nationwide.
Winsted, Connecticut
American Museum of Tort Law
In Winsted, YC² students tackled critical environmental river revitalization issues, combining historical research, civic dialogue, and strategic planning to successfully advocate for local policy change. Through innovative approaches, youth participants engaged town officials, community leaders, and residents in collaborative efforts, resulting in measurable improvements and showcasing the real-world effectiveness of YC² methods.
Marceline, Missouri
​YC² students in Marceline explored sustainable environmental solutions through community-driven civic engagement. Using our strategic thinking tools and methodologies, youth groups identified local ecological challenges, proposed innovative strategies, and successfully collaborated with civic leaders and organizations, leading measurable initiatives that positively impacted community sustainability and showcased youth capacity to influence meaningful local change.
Brookfield, Missouri
​The YC² team made another trip along Hwy 36 for a workshop at Brookfield High School. Brookfield is our second location along historic Hwy 36, and the group's project will commence in August 2025. YC² will be employed during school hours via Brookfield's JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) program. We're excited to see what the students accomplish by the end of the year.
