RECAP: Imagine + Incubate Workshops in iconic historic sites kickstart Youth250 plans
Gen Z weighs in on what they hope to see at the U.S. 250th, with local leaders joining the conversation.
by Alex Edgar, Youth Engagement Manager and Caroline Klibanoff, Executive Director, Made By Us
In 2026, the United States will commemorate 250 years of the Declaration of Independence — a document representing one generation’s table stakes for the self-governed future they sought. Today, younger generations are still leading the way, writing our country’s next chapter.
How can we meaningfully mark the U.S. 250th anniversary, reckoning with our past while looking ahead to the future?
In 2024, with support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Made By Us — the nationwide network of museums serving as civic hubs for young adults — got to work on this very question.
In four cities, in iconic locations, Made By Us hosted intergenerational workshops to kick off Youth250, the dynamic, nonpartisan effort to capture young people’s imaginations, ideas and input as the United States turns 250 years old in 2026. Designed and facilitated by longtime Made By Us innovation strategist Curious Catalyst, Inc., these “Imagine and Incubate” workshops in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City and Philadelphia brought together equal parts young people, decision-makers, and creative exercises. The result? Per one attendee, an “intergenerational setting without power dynamics” that bridged generational divides in real time, paving the way for a collective vision that centers youth voices during this historic moment.
The C-Suite and students at the same table
We know many historic sites are preparing for 2026 — but the 250th celebration will resonate far beyond museum walls, echoing through the streets of communities nationwide. Thus, the planning must bring people together across industries and roles. “Imagine and Incubate” workshops brought together local college students, young professionals, government officials, museum leaders and more. Young adults, ages 18 to 30, were recruited from the local community based on interest and diversity of perspectives, and paid a stipend for their time. Decision-makers from local organizations included:
- Presidents and CEOs of history, art and science museums
- Director of Communications and Executive Directors, arts organizations
- State Senator
- President, local arts council
- Senior Director, Girl Scouts
- Director of Community Engagement and Senior Director, public radio and TV
- President and Vice President, state humanities councils
- Senior Program Manager, civic engagement organization
- Director of Education, historic sites
- State 250th Commissions
- Education Director, city government
- Professors and directors of civic engagement from local universities
- President, local businesses
Led by skilled facilitator Aaron Wilson-Ahlstrom, participants rotated configurations non-stop, ensuring cross-pollination of ideas. From a Brigham Young University student discussing their dream for the future of Salt Lake City with a local tribal leader, to a Spelman College alum and sustainability coordinator in conversation with a Georgia Public Broadcasting leader, individuals who may have never crossed paths shared moments of joy and reflection.
Getting grounded in place
Understanding our history is essential for shaping the future. Workshops were hosted in a historic penitentiary, a historic farm, a museum and a state capitol, bringing a unique, authentic and meaningful sense of place and history to the conversations. The day began with a tour of the historic site and guided reflections, including:
- What did you relate to the most and why?
- How did what you saw make you think about our country?
- What part of this experience would you want young people in the future to understand?
- What struck you about exploring a new place with people you don’t know?
We knew these four cities brought a wide range of perspectives to the table already, with people from different demographics, ideologies and walks of life; but grounding the day in history itself reminded us all of the legacies — for better and for worse — that we carry forward.
In Atlanta, after viewing the Civil War Cyclorama tapestry at the Atlanta History Center, more conversations centered around race, reckoning, and memory. How do we decide whose stories get told? Whose POV is represented?
In Philadelphia, set inside a decaying cellblock inside Eastern State Penitentiary just 2 miles away from the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, National Liberty Museum and Independence Hall, participants reflected on the true meaning of freedom and liberty, independence versus inter-dependence.
In Salt Lake City, at the state capitol hosted by the Utah Historical Society, soon to build a brand-new purpose built state history museum, an exhibition on indigenous representation in film sparked conversation about rights and identity; and at Conner Prairie, a 19th century farm along the White River outside Indianapolis, the Promised Land as Proving Ground exhibition reminded participants of the ways access to reliable information has limited, or empowered, people in the past to make decisions.
But what about… *gestures wildly around us *?
Let’s face it: most people are simply not in a headspace to be thinking about America’s future on a day to day basis. Heading into these workshops during a presidential election year, we knew folks would likely be bringing with them a wide variety of feelings and concerns, including, but not limited to:
- Hopes and fears around the 2024 election
- Perceptions about the U.S. 250th and the U.S. in general
- Perceptions of others in the room
- A range of comfort levels with being in historic spaces
- General well-being concerns, daily life stressors, back-to-school feels, and other obligations
Getting these concerns out in the open, while not stalling out and preventing imaginative, generative conversation, would be essential.
So, we started the day with a snowball fight. Part fun, part trauma-dump, part bonding exercise, we asked attendees to write down their hopes, fears and advice themselves on a piece of paper, before crumbling it up and throwing it across the room. This snowball fight led to pairs of attendees reading the anonymous insights and reflecting on what they had in common and different from those around them.
Can a meme bridge divides?
In order to reach a place where ideas for the 250th could even begin to blossom, we needed to first break down the generational barriers that existed between our groups. If you’re not convinced there’s a communication gap, we encourage you to bring together a group of people from different generations and ask them to explain this meme:
An intergenerational meme exchange invited all attendees to share one meme that made them laugh and one that inspired them recently. Together, small groups reached more common understanding — or at least an appreciation of the different spheres we all inhabit.
And a bit of time travel… to the U.S. 300th
Most of the day was centered around a few core questions: what would make the 250th an unmissable event? And what would need to be achieved during this commemoration, in order to set us up for a better future?
Through sticky notes and table-top scribbles, we documented input on the sentiments, experiences and conditions required to host a successful U.S. 250th.
An important part of this visioning was considering the possible long-term outcomes of the 250th, on our country and our communities. For the Gen Z-ers in the room, who may be around to witness the U.S. 300th anniversary in 2076, thinking 50 years forward offered a useful anchor point. In small groups on big sticky notes, we worked backwards from 2076 mapping out a potential future. Backcasting, an approach from the futurist’s toolbox brought to us by Made By Us team futurist Kaz Brecher, helped us move past our current, day-to-day concerns and perceptions to ask: what conditions ought to be created in 2026 to help us achieve greater opportunity, rights, liberty, equality and justice in the future– the values inscribed in our founding documents?
These inputs from all four workshops will be analyzed and distilled by the Made By Us team for the upcoming Youth250 toolkit.
Outcomes
With our national tour having come to a close, it is clear that these Youth250 Workshops had a profound impact on the participants and underscored the need for the Youth250 initiative in communities across the country. One adult attendee shared that being in this workshop reaffirmed to them that “the youth are our future and if we support them, things will happen in the right way.” Many participants, even if they hadn’t thought about America’s 250th prior, shared that their workshop experience illuminated the possibility for conversation with individuals outside of their traditional circles and that values and goals for our future are a lot less different across generations than they’d imagined.
As one Gen Z participant so elegantly summarized, “I used to think Gen Z was alone in the future planning because everything I saw on social media was like ‘Gen Z needs to fix this!’ But being here made me realize even people who might not be around in 50 years can be valuable in helping us plan for the future because we can learn from past experience.”
These workshops built on additional gatherings at the Heritage Chocolate Society Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.; American Association of State and Local History Meeting in Mobile, Alabama; Youth250 Briefing at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History; and Future’s Happening at Stanford d.school in Palo Alto, California, as featured in the Future’s Happening Playbook. These events brought together additional stakeholders to provide input for how to build a national youth advisory bureau for the 250th, what to include in the Youth250 toolkit, and key needs from institutions and young people.
The Made By Us team, with support from Curious Catalyst and Every Museum a Civic Museum, will now take all workshop inputs, feedback and data points to inform the upcoming Youth250 Toolkit for institutions, and the work of the soon-to-be-launched Youth250 Advisors Bureau.
If you were a part of these workshops, we thank you for your participation — and invite any and all to play a role in shaping Youth250. Learn more at Youth250.org.
