Editor’s note, June 1, 2013: The 2013 class of Youth Designers are getting ready for their summer internships. Cause Consulting is thrilled to continue to sponsor the Youth Design Takes Action Competition, now in its third year, and we are looking forward to working with the students starting in July.

Mark Feldman.Nikki korn.Nora Ngowu.Cause Consulting.Youth Design

And the winners are… all thirty 2012 Boston Youth Designers. Cause Consulting is proud to sponsor the annual Youth Design Takes Action Competition in which urban youth develop calls-to-action through creative work to inspire others to take action. This year’s public service announcements are powerful, compelling, and artistically impressive.

Congratulations to the top three submissions: Nora Ngowu (see image above and Nora’s winning submission below), Aaron Clanton, and Tucker Gay! Check out this PDF to see the top-ten submissions.

This competition is one key component of Youth Design, a Boston based nonprofit organization which offer’s the nation’s leading program to address the critical socioeconomic needs of urban youth by teaching them highly marketable design skills, providing access to unparalleled professional mentors, and supporting them along the path toward higher education.

During their paid summer internships at companies including Reebok, State Street Corporation, Life is Good, and Partners in Health, this year’s thirty designers created their own vision for social change.  At a kick-off webinar and a separate morning workshop at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Cause Consulting’s Nikki Korn counseled the students on how to research social issues, interview stakeholders, and craft memorable messages.  Every student was also matched with a virtual art director from across the U.S., a professional designer, who guided their visual work.

I was honored to announce the 2012 competition winners during the Youth Design graduation ceremonies.  WOW!  The designs are inspiring. The teens’ messages reflect issues that are unfortunately prominent in their lives:  bullying, domestic violence, equality, and healthy lifestyles. These high school students issue persuasive calls-to-action for others to take notice.

Winning design, by Nora Ngowu

The top 10 designers received a copy of Jonathan Cleveland’s coffee table book on cause and design and will have their designs included as note cards this holiday.  The top 3 designers (listed above) will also have their designs printed on a Karmaloop T-shirt and sold to raise money for Youth Design.  Their designs will be available as T-shirts soon.

Along with Youth Design, at Cause Consulting we celebrate the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to transform their untapped creative talent into a vibrant career path.

If you liked seeing these winning cause campaigns, check out last year’s 2011 winners.

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