Plans in Action Workshop Series

Written By Jill Carey

You didn’t just come to America’s Future Summit to pitch an idea – you came to make it happen. Now’s your chance. 

The Plans in Action Workshop Series is a free, flexible 10-week experience spanning May 2026 through February 2027, setting you up to attend the 2027 summit with real evidence of your capacity to effect positive change. By participating in this workshop series, you’ll gain skilled mentorship and coaching to bring your project to life. Sessions alternate between Live Virtual Sessions (direct instruction and skill practice) and Drop-in Office Hour Modules (1:1 or small-group troubleshooting with a skilled mentor). Here’s what to expect:

  • Sessions 1+2 — Polish up your current plan to make it doable

  • Sessions 3+4 — Engage with your audience or stakeholders 

  • Sessions 5+6 — Raise money and secure resources

  • Sessions 7+8 — Pursue systems-level change through legislative action

  • Sessions 9+10 — Skillfully operationalize your approach for greater impact

By the end, you won’t have a project plan – you’ll have living proof that teens have the power to make a difference in their communities.

Format

  • Format: 

    • 5 Live Virtual Sessions (engaging workshops focused on learning objectives; recordings will be shared and distributed after each session)

    • 5 Drop-in Office Hour Modules (open-door virtual coaching focused on strategy implementation)

  • Audience: AFS 2026 participants (post competition)

  • Goal: Support teens in testing, launching, and sustaining their Project Plans

Program Timeline

All sessions take place on the third Thursday of the month from 4-5 PM Central Time.

SESSION 1 — 5/21/26
Beyond Civics Kickoff with Jill Carey: Turn competition ideas into real, doable projects by identifying a “minimum viable action” (smallest version to test) and polishing up the Project Plan. 

SESSION 2 – 6/18/26
Office Hours: Project Refinement with Jill Carey | Coaching focus: Realistic first steps and operational prioritizing.

SESSION 3 – 7/16/26
Community Organizing with Anna Nielsen: Design effective stakeholder engagement strategies: focus groups, surveys/interviews, micro pilots.

SESSION 4 – 8/20/26
Office Hours: Community Testing with Anna Nielsen | Coaching focus: Outreach messaging

SESSION 5 – 9/17/26
Fundraising and Financial Models with Libby Stegger: Define common nonprofit funding sources (grants, sponsorships, and donations) and learn grant writing pro tips. Practice a 1-minute funding pitch.

SESSION 6 – 10/15/26
Office Hours: Funding Support with Libby Stegger | Coaching focus: Funding pitches

SESSION 7 – 11/19/26
Advancing Legislative Action: Learn how to identify a legislative opportunity and advance it through governmental channels

SESSION 8 – 12/17/26
Office Hours: Systems Change with Khalique Rodgers | Coaching focus: Mechanisms of system change

SESSION 9 – 1/21/27
Operations and Sustainability with Anna Nielsen: Revisit priorities and realign on next steps to move projects forward and beyond.

SESSION 10 – 2/18/27
Office Hours: Operations Support with Anna Nielsen | Coaching focus: Preparing for AFS 2027

Jill Carey
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Youth Advisory Committee