Baby, they don't need another program. They need an experience.
Jessica LaShawn Consulting helps schools, municipalities, nonprofits, and corporate community teams design youth programs young people actually want to participate in — and remember.
Youth programs get funded, launched, and forgotten because they were planned instead of designed. The activities happen. The impact doesn't.
- School districts and individual schools
- Municipalities and city youth offices
- Foundations and grantmakers
- Nonprofits building or refreshing youth initiatives
- Corporate community engagement and workforce development teams
- ◆Discover what young people in your community actually need — not what we assume
- ◆Design programs that combine exposure, mentorship, and real-world skill
- ◆Build curriculum, structure, and facilitation that hold up in the room
- ◆Partner strategy, sponsorship, and long-term sustainability
- Programs young people show up for — and bring friends to
- Measurable engagement, retention, and outcomes
- A model your team can run without Jessica LaShawn in the room every week
- Stories worth telling to funders and the community
Before you inquire.
Do you only work in Chicago?+
No. Jessica LaShawn is based in Chicago and works nationally with schools, cities, foundations, and organizations serving young people across the country.
We already have a program. Do you rebuild it or refresh it?+
Whichever the program actually needs. Sometimes we sharpen an existing model. Sometimes we redesign it. We start by listening to the team, the young people, and the outcomes you're trying to move.
Do you write curriculum too?+
Yes. Curriculum design, facilitator guides, and mentorship structures are often part of a youth-program engagement. See Curriculum & Educational Experience Design for standalone curriculum work.
Can this be grant-funded?+
Frequently. We're happy to work with your grant timeline and, when useful, provide narrative and program-design language that strengthens funder conversations.
Might also be what you need.
When the program needs to reach more than one generation.
The learning experience inside the program.
Fund the vision with the right people at the table.
Ready to talk it through?
Send an inquiry, or take a seat and figure out the right place to start.