Connecting, inspiring and empowering Chicago's future leaders

The Chicago Ideas Youth Program seeks to serve and empower the next generation of changemakers in our city. Now entering its 7th year, the goal of Chicago Ideas Youth is to provide a platform where Chicago high school students can seek out new opportunities, internalize a leadership mentality, and gain exposure to ideas that will spark their desire and enlarge their capacity to change the world around them. Programmatically, CI Youth operates on two levels: an intensive, two year long ambassador program that serves a cohort of 35, and a city-wide initiative that serves 1,900 Chicago teenagers through events-based programming.
Speaker Connects
Professional Events
Youth Ambassador Program
Ideas Day
Chicago Ideas Youth Resources
More Than Just Events
Chicago Ideas Youth Partners
Chicago Ideas Youth Lab Hosts
Thank you to all of our Lab hosts for providing our students incredible behind the scenes access:
- Equity Commonwealth: Real Estate in Action
- Comedy Sportz: Improv + Communication Skillz
- PWC: Budgeting, Consumer Fraud, and Financial Planning
- IDEO: Design Thinking and Ideation
- mHUB: Think it, Make it, Break it, Better it: Product Creation in a Manufacturing Makerspace
- Ballot Ready: Let’s Throw A Ballot Party!
- Shedd Aquarium: Exploring Marine Biology
- IIT: Architecture, Design, and Constructing your World
- Google: We’re Not In Chicago Anymore...AI Exploration with Cardboard
- DMC, Inc.: ALL the Engineering! A Hands-On Deep Dive into Engineering and Consulting with DMC, Inc.
- Lincoln Park Zoo: Animal Behavior, Technology, and Observation
- Lifeway Kefir: Cooking and Fermenting at The Chopping Block
- Chicago Botanic Gardens: The Farm on Ogden
- American Institute of Architects: Students and Architects Weigh In on School Safety
- The Chopping Block: How To Make Homemade Pasta
- Ink Factory: Visual Note-Taking
- Gravity Studios: Recording and Mixing Tracks in the Music Studio
- Urbanime @ Columbia College: The Graphic Novel and How to Be Your Own Superhero
Chicago Ideas Youth Partner Organizations
- 826Chi
- After School Matters
- Big Shoulders Fund
- Chicago Learning Exchange
- Chicago Public Schools
- Chicago Tech Academy
- Chicago Youth Centers
- Embarc
- Gary Comer Youth Center
- Guitars Over Guns
- Horizons for Youth
- iMentor
- Instituto Health and Science Academy
- Mikva Challenge
- Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
- UCAN
- Urban Alliance
- BAM
- WOW
- CICS
- AUSL
Sponsor Support
Chicago Ideas Youth program is proudly supported by the following companies and organizations who share our commitment to supporting youth in Chicago: