About Us
Impactanation works in partnership with organizations, corporations, governments and universities creating strategies to engage youth in solving the key challenges we are facing today.
We believe in the potential of individuals to see the world in a new way and to use that view to solve the challenges in front of them.
Why We Care
Ultimately, individuals who learn that they are in control of their lives, that they can make a positive impact, that their peers and community care, will be a beacon of hope for their communities and examples to us all. These individuals are our most valued partners. Given the chance, each and every one of us can be these individuals. And together we all make an impact.
As we imagine a better world we develop our imagination. As we see the experience of our impact, we Impact a Nation.
For two decades, founders Richard Ford and Vicki Saunders have been initiating impact by weaving an integration of youth insight and engagement into all threads of society.
Impactanation designs strategies, programs, initiatives and campaigns to engage youth to take positive action in order to create a more sustainable way of being and a establish a better planet.
Our Approach
At Impactanation, our organizational model is designed in a holistic way in order to develop transformative experiences for youth and the key stakeholders in their lives. Over ten years of experimentation with business models (for profit, not for profit, and public), youth engagement strategies, and programs has led to the creation of a sustainable, high impact, long term plan for cultural transformation.
Impactanation has a three-pronged strategy for developing a culture of awareness, active citizenship and entrepreneurship. We have developed a process that allows for youth to enter our programs at whatever stage they choose be it increasing their personal awareness around issues of interest to them, gaining project experience and connecting more deeply with their community or developing their own innovations and launching an enterprise.
All of our programs follow a similar approach to development:
- Develop a call to action which is compelling, inspiring and engaging
- Work closely with the early adopters to support their efforts, celebrate their achievements and involve them as coaches to the cohort who are later adopters
- Provide every opportunity for student involvement in all aspects of the program from training, to promotion, to monitoring and evaluation to partnership development
- Develop a partnership model that looks beyond traditional sector walls to involve all stakeholders in the community
- Develop a communications campaign that celebrates action, achievement and engagement
- Develop an incentive system in partnership with key stakeholders that is customized to their needs
Engagement The Impactanation Way
Impactanation seeks to engage all stakeholders. Traditional programs are focused on content with individual participation and involvement. Impactanation focuses on process.
Impactanation provides opportunities for us to discover, inquire, share results, seek input, involve stakeholders, measure results and reflect upon the impact of our actions. Our five-step process is the key to moving along the path from participation to engagement.
1. Co-creation
Any project that seeks to engage participants needs to be co-created involving the key stakeholders it will impact. We approach partnership with leading educators, business leaders, community leaders and media experts through extensive ideation sessions. Impactanation engages and involves key stakeholders in prominent roles to build their leadership and provide opportunities for them to deepen their experience.
2. Personal awareness
Personal transformation always precedes organizational transformation. The success of Impactanation will depend on individual behavior change, person by person, that leads to the development of a critical mass and thereby transforms schools, communities and eventually a whole system's behavior. All Impactanation activities build-in a personal awareness component to help individuals understand the positive impact they can have on their world.
Providing an opportunity for individuals to recognize the impact that they can have is the foundation for building the connection between our awareness and our actions.
3. Partnership awareness
Creating transformative change requires partnership. In our engagement process, we provide tools for partnership development and partnership design through activities in order to impact the greatest change. The process toward creating a win-win for all stakeholders is a skill to be developed and nurtured. From Kindergarten through grade 12, all stakeholders will develop their abilities to build successful and lasting partnerships.
4. Experiential, discovery-based learning
Belief is changed through experience. Beliefs drive our attitudes and our actions. In every area of action, Impactanation seeks to develop discovery-based activities which help all stakeholders to experience the impact they can have on their family, their classroom, their school, their community and their world. Working on relevant, real projects, with measurable results helps people to shift their beliefs and know that they can make a difference. Discovery-based learning makes the 'lesson' stick and becomes part of our DNA.
5. Accountability + Reflection
Upon completion of any project or presentation, Impactanation builds in a process of accountability and reflection that helps us to measure and internalize the impact we have made.
Reflecting upon attitudes and beliefs, before and after participating in Impactanation program, gives stakeholders an understanding of where they started, where they ended, what they have achieved, and how they transformed.