Youth Design Inc.

ABOUT YOUTH DESIGN:

Founded in 2003 on the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to transform his or her untapped creative talent into a vibrant career path. YOUTH DESIGN seeks to meet the most critical social and economic needs of talented urban area teens – especially around education, jobs, professional mentoring and social justice – by providing unparalleled access to career opportunities, professional mentorships, marketable skills and pathways to higher education in the design fields.

YOUTH DESIGN is a unique summer mentorship program that introduces inner-city high school students to careers in the design profession by providing high quality, paying design jobs in Boston area design firms, agencies, and in-house design departments. Youth Design is committed to increasing its impact, extending its reach and mission to diversify the design profession for the benefit of serving more Youth Designers. Youth Design mobilizes the area’s professional design community to act as a catalyst for social change, in support of urban youth through the lens of design. Community engagement with key audiences – civic leaders, the design community, and philanthropy - is instrumental in reaching this goal.

The program was founded by Denise Korn and is run in partnership with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Boston chapter, and Boston’s Private Industry Council (PIC) that organizes the private sector component of Mayor Menino’s Summer Jobs Campaign.