What You’ll Do at the Innovation Challenge
This isn’t a “sit-and-get” conference experience where we just talk about solutions. We’re going to build them together. Across one focused, collaborative day, expect to:
- Dig into a real college and career readiness challenge affecting youth in your community
- Work side-by-side with professionals across education, workforce, and community systems
- Turn ideas into a practical 90-day action plan you can put into motion right away
What You’ll Leave With
- A clear, realistic 90-day action plan for continuing work
- New cross-sector connections you can call on after the event
- Tools and strategies grounded in real-world application
The 2026 College & Career Readiness Innovation Challenge will be facilitated by:
The Henry Ford Learning Institute (HFLI) is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools, nonprofits, and communities to advance equity and empowerment through innovative, culturally responsive learning experiences. Through its Deeper Learning by Doing® approach, HFLI equips learners and leaders with the skills, confidence, and collaborative practices needed to drive meaningful and lasting change.
Agenda
*All times listed are the local time for each event.
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Check-in & Coffee
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session I: Exploring Local Opportunities and Challenges Across the College and Career Readiness System
Preparing young people for life after high school requires a shared understanding of the people, experiences, and systems that shape their pathways. In this highly interactive session, you will build relationships across sectors, explore the college and career readiness landscape from a young person’s perspective, and identify gaps and opportunities that no single organization can address alone.
Using human-centered design tools, you will examine stakeholder influence and involvement, consider the experiences of Indiana youth, and map key moments along their college and career readiness journeys. Small groups will use these insights to define an opportunity for innovation, generate possible responses, and develop an initial concept that reflects the strengths and resources within their communities.
12:00 - 12:30 PM
Lunch
12:30 - 2:00 PM
Session II: Strengthening Solutions and Mobilizing for Action
Innovation becomes actionable when ideas are strengthened through feedback, connected to the right partners, and translated into practical next steps. In this session, small teams will prototype and refine their concepts with peers, consider what implementation will require, and identify the relationships and resources needed to move their ideas forward.
You will develop a focused 90-day action plan that clarifies immediate priorities, potential partners, and opportunities for support through Indiana Youth Institute and the broader statewide network. The session will conclude with a gallery walk and structured reflection designed to surface opportunities for continued collaboration, shared learning, cross-pollination, and collective action across communities.
Who Should You Bring With You?
The Innovation Challenge will be a facilitated, team-based format in which you’ll work through defined college and career readiness (CCR) challenges and leave with a concrete 90-day action plan. We recommend you bring a collaborative, cross-functional team because this is work that happens best together:
- Youth-serving organization staff and leaders
- K–12 educators, counselors, and administrators
- Postsecondary and career advising professionals
- Workforce development and employer partners
- Community, nonprofit, and system-level leaders supporting youth pathways
Don’t have a team to come with? We will pair you up with one when you arrive!