Giving Back to the Future

Youth Design is a nonprofit organization that depends on the generosity of mentoring firms, design professionals from around the country, public and private foundations, individual donors, and volunteers to fund and run our programs. Your time, talent, and financial support make all the difference as we work to bring this wonderful opportunity to young people in your community.

Become A Mentor

The benefits of hiring a Youth Designer for the Summer Immersion Program far outweigh the costs. Mentors not only change the life of a student in the community – they are profoundly inspired by these young, talented individuals.

Youth Design Student Testimonials

Carlos Alonzo YD’10
West Roxbury High School
Bunker Hill Community College, Mass.
Internship site: Karmaloop

Just before Carlos graduated from high school, one of his teachers suggested he pursue a Youth Design internship. “When they told me I’d be working for Karmaloop, everything started to come together,” he recalls. During first summer at Karmaloop’s marketing department, he created online ads and helping design the tour bus banner for vocalist Mike Posner. “After the summer program ended, they asked me if I wanted to stay,” he says. “It felt like a dream.” Carlos now divides his time between photo editing the Karmaloop site and studying graphic design at Bunker Hill Community College. “Youth Design helped me focus on what I wanted to do – both continuing my education and developing my job skills in a paid position.”

Conrad Ennis YD’08
Boston Latin School
Carnegie Mellon University, Pa.
Internship site: Catapult Thinking

Conrad’s Youth Design experience at Catapult exposed him to aspects of design he’d never considered, such as market research, strategy, and the importance of collaboration. “Youth Design is a real community; there was never a time I felt left out,” he says. “The experience taught me that I could really succeed in the design world.” Conrad still considers himself a part of Youth Design; he attends volunteer meetings during breaks from his industrial design studies at Carnegie Mellon University. “Whenever I’m ready to take the next step toward becoming a designer, I find myself coming back and consulting with my mentor, Denise Korn.”

Lydia Kardos YD’03
Boston Arts Academy
School of Visual Arts, N.Y.
Internship site: Korn Design

A decade after completing her summer experience with Youth Design, Lydia works in the creative department at Charles P. Rogers, a New York City-based bed and linen company. In addition to photographing products, she designs sets and showrooms, works in post-production, and collaborates with the firm’s art director on print advertising campaigns. Her ability to juggle so many creative hats is a result not only of her degree from New York’s School of Visual Arts, but also her Youth Design experience. Lydia’s Youth Design summer was spent at Korn Design, where she worked on everything from menus and brochures to posters and a website for a public relations firm. “The people at Korn involved me in everything they did,” she says. “My experience as a Youth Designer helped me discover skills I didn’t know I had – and changed my life in the process. I learned how to become a true creative professional, and a responsible employee.”

Edbert Wang YD’09
Boston Latin School
Cooper Union, N.Y.
Internship site: Motiv*Formerly Proteus Design

“Youth Design was a maturing experience for me,” explains Edbert. “I was quiet in high school; my internship taught me how to come out of my shell by learning to communicate in the professional world.” By summer’s end, Edbert’s logo designs had earned praise from his co-workers, and he knew he had discovered his life’s work. After his internship at Motiv ended, he returned to the firm twice a week to keep enhancing his skills; the following summer, he assisted Youth Design staff with creating promotional videos and organizing the graduation ceremony. Now studying fine arts and graphic design at Cooper Union, Edbert says, “I’d never imagined turning my love of art into a career, but Youth Design helped open so many new possibilities for me.”

Contact Us

If your design studio or corporate design department is interested in hosting or sponsoring a student for the summer, We'll tell you what's involved and how your firm or organization can participate.

Tony Richards, Executive Director
tony@youthdesign.org
857.277.1737