The institute for citizens & scholars

Recruiting a diverse cohort of 500 youth leaders across the U.S.

Services: Branding | Leadership Recruitment Strategy | Paid Media Strategy | Campaign & Creative Development

Citizens & Scholars engaged DSS to build the brand and recruitment strategy for their new Carnegie Young Leaders Fellowship—helping them reach thousands of young people and ignite a new generation of civic changemakers.

 

THE REALITY

Citizens & Scholars came to us in a moment where democracy in the U.S. feels fragile and the importance of building the civic agency of future generations has never been higher. Their research found that 33% of Gen Zers indicated no intention to participate civically in 2024, including voting. This posed an urgent question: How do we make civic leadership irresistible to young people, especially those who don’t see themselves as “civic leaders” yet?

The goal? Build a diverse cohort of 500 Gen Z changemakers across the country through the launch of their new Carnegie Young Leaders (CYL) for Civic Preparedness Fellowship—a bold, national initiative designed to support young people in leading civic engagement projects addressing real-world issues in their community.

The timeline was ambitious: just 12 weeks to deliver.

OUR APPROACH

We quickly devised and implemented a strategy focused on three core audiences:

  1. Youth in civic deserts – young people with limited access to civic opportunities that need encouragement this role is for them

  2. Emerging civic leaders – applicants further along in their civic journey with well-honed project ideas

  3. Adult allies – parents, teachers and nonprofit professionals young people trust

We then created platform-specific content to demystify the application process and position C&S as a partner invested in the next generation of leaders. Our campaign mobilized our DoSomething community of members and trusted messengers, including academic institutions, influential content creators, and nonprofits such as those reaching justice-impacted youth. We adapted in real time, hosting info sessions, implemented ad retargeting, and sent personalized follow-ups to shepherd applicants through the process.

This wasn’t just about visibility—it was about validating Gen Z’s hunger to lead with the clear message: this is for you.

 

THE IMPACT

In just three months, Carnegie Young Leaders became one of the most visible and applied-to youth programs in The Institute's history:

  • 110,000 people visited the CYL program site

  • 300 teams of 5 applied: 1,500 young changemakers across the country

  • The average age was just 18: a powerful testament to Gen Z’s readiness to act

  • Applicants represented 40 states, with 82% being BIPOC: ensuring this cohort represents both diversity of geography and race/ethnicity 

On July 28, 2025, The Institute convened team leads in Princeton, NJ, to officially kick off the first cohort of Carnegie Young Leaders. Over the course of the next year, their teams will be connecting with expert mentors and sharing learnings through communities of practice to support the growth of their projects and create a swell of youth-led civic action across the country.

Kick-off convening is held in Princeton, NJ to launch the first cohort of Carnegie Young Leaders

Walker Post, Associate Director of Strategy at DSS, leads a session at the CYL kick-off convening to guide team leaders in how to use constructive dialogue in their projects

 

Interested in how to cultivate relationships with young leaders in your organization?