1. Civic Innovation Summer
Civic Innovation Summer 2013 is an experimental summer jobs program for teens focused on
civics, media, and technology. The teens will be trained to be Change-makers empowered to
use the latest digital tools to organize themselves, amplify their voice, and take positive civic
action. The program will be implemented by three Chicago organizations, with support from the
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services:
● Smart Chicago Collaborative, a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago
through technology
● Mikva Challenge, which develops the next generation of civic leaders, activists, and
policy-makers
● Free Spirit Media, which provides education, access, and opportunity in media
production
Opportunity
There is a large amount of innovation in Chicago in the technology, civics, and media fields. The
opportunity is to share that innovation with youth and send them on durable pathways that lead
to skills, jobs, and entrepreneurship. Here are some of the building blocks of that innovation:
● Chicago is in the middle of a period of high growth and experimentation in the
technology industry. Mayor Rahm Emanuel sees technology having a central role in
economic development, convening the ChicagoNEXT Council on Innovation and
Technology and Technology Industry Diversity Council.
● Chicago has established itself as a center for open government data, and the City
regularly rolls out new civic innovations like Open311 and Adopt A Sidewalk.
● Chicago continues to be a center of innovation in journalism, with local media projects
like EveryBlock, the Chicago Tribune news apps team, the Mozilla Open News project,
and the Chicago Community Trust’s Civic Innovation in Chicago project at the center of
high activity.
In order to stay competitive and keep innovating in these fields, Chicago needs to develop a
highly-qualified labor pool in each of these areas, and keep the lines of creativity open among
the three. Developing this pipeline is in its infancy and requires multiple on-ramps, starting in
middle school.

2. Mikva Challenge and Free Spirit Media, the two key program delivery partners for this proposal,
have years of experience engaging with and training youth in civics and media. Here are some
key insights:
● Many Chicago youth are struggling to thrive while living in communities that face multiple
stress factors and developmental barriers with few resources and supports. The
numerous obstacles in their lives and communities include violence, lack of jobs, low-
performing schools, poor health outcomes, and lack of recreational opportunities.
● Digital media is a key tool to build and expand young people’s civic and professional
capacity, but youth in under-resourced schools and neighborhoods don’t always have
access to the tools to become digital activists.
● Chicago youth have an aptitude and appetite for learning digital media. They know their
voices matter and are important in informing and improving their world.
● Chicago youth have expertise and knowledge about what is happening in their
communities and which solutions would best impact their lives. They are rarely brought
into the civic dialogue on these issues and their ideas and energy are wasted when we
do not involve them.
In the context of this deep aptitude and expertise, many youth lack access to and an
understanding of how powerful technology can be. They need exposure to how they can use
technology to impact their lives, their community, and their world.
The Civic Innovation Summer provides several entrance ramps on the digital media pathway.
We will do this through three main mechanisms:
● Youth experience a summer of discovery and creativity— exploring, discovering, and
highlighting what’s going on in their community/city, youth will produce unique content
using technology and real world experiences for documentation and advocacy activities.
● Connecting the summer experience into the school year through continued
engagement.
● Youth are inspired to take action for themselves and their community through this unique
program approach. As a result of this experience, youth can jump on and stay on the
technology pathway, as they learn how to use and are motivated by technology as a
tool to implement real change.
We think the Civic Innovation Summer can be the start of something great for the City of
Chicago. This summer program is unique— youth will learn more about their community and
their city, they will produce content using technology and real world experiences, and they will
realize the power of technology and media for social change. They will learn about the
importance of an open internet and gain skill skills that will allow them to be successful in school
and at work. Their learning will be documented and acknowledged through a badge system tied
to the City’s infrastructure.