Ahead of America’s 250th, one nonprofit is taking a Gen Z approach to the impending nationwide celebrations — turning the landmark day into a “meaningful launchpad for our future.” And it’s kicking off in Atlanta.
On August 5, the Youth250 initiative kicked off with a day-long workshop at the Atlanta History Center, where an intergenerational crowd explored what a 250-year celebration hosted by museums and institutions could look like in the city.
Made By Us launched in 2020 as a collaboration between several history museums across the country. The civic information-oriented nonprofit has since launched its largest initiative Youth250 ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026.
It aims to do two major things — inform and inspire young adults who will inherit the country and “future proof” institutions like the museums and cultural centers to ensure they can serve younger generations.
“We see this as an opportunity to help everyone connect to their American story,” Made By Us Executive Director Caroline Klibanoff said.
Klibanoff said institutions like the Smithsonian, National Archives and the Atlanta History Center have valuable information, but there’s a “gap in access” to the knowledge itself. She also thinks a lot of decision-makers and organizations in charge of how the moment will be observed “aren’t really close to the places and attitudes of young people.”
It’s a gap that events like the Aug. 5 workshop aim to fix. By hosting it at longtime Made By Us partner, participants are up close and personal with the city’s history. Between conversations, the small group wandered through the Civil War-oriented Cyclorama, an Olympics exhibition and a room focused on Atlanta’s rail.
The peek into local history was the backdrop for a conversation about what a celebration could look like for a country with a complicated history. Among Americans, a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll found steep declines in patriotism.
Klibanoff said part of the solution is meeting people where they are, particularly when it comes to younger audiences. It’s also about redefining patriotism with a focus on agency.
“I mean, our goal is not to insist that everyone waves the American flag and feels patriotic, but our work has shown over five years that if people do not feel that they are a part of this country and its future, they are not going to take part in any of the action required to shape it,” Klibanoff said. “I think people demonstrate that patriotism in different ways.”
The nonprofit is taking a three-pronged approach to bringing people into patriotism. The first piece is the workshop: across four cities in the United States, Gen Z applicants will spend the day with institutional leaders doing exercises like a “meme exchange” or sharing visions for the future.
Klibanoff hopes the workshops will determine the “top needs” of young people when it comes to celebrating the 250th anniversary and beyond.
“How do we ensure that young people feel this is their country, they belong in it, and they are equipped to shape its next chapter?” Klibanoff asked.
At the August 5 workshop at the Atlanta History Center, a handful of young adults from different backgrounds meet with so-called “institutional leaders,” adults representing different organizations and companies across the city.
The Gen Z representatives were given a $200 daily stipend and free Atlanta History Center tickets for coming out. They also got a chance to build intergenerational bonds, according to attendees like Rachel Donaldson.
“What intrigued me was the fact I wouldn’t be connected with just Gen Z-ers, but also other generations,” Donaldson said. “That’s really appealing because I feel like nowadays, it’s sometimes hard to connect with people and older generations and honestly just see where their minds are at.”
From the “elder” side, Klibanoff said she feels the institutional leaders were able to recognize the value young people can provide.
“I give so much credit to the folks who show up for a day like this because it’s taking time out of your busy work day to make space for something that you don’t get a lot of credit for out in the world,” Klibanoff said.
But the exchange goes both ways. During the workshop, many exercises focused on generational gaps. Small groups would exchange memes, with young adults explaining cultural touchstones to the older crowd. Anonymously, they would share each other’s fears about the future. Together they made a vision board for the next several decades in America, working backward to figure out how to reach the ideal future.
Donaldson and other attendees said they left the workshop feeling hopeful and connected to a host of new people. The 23-year-old said it was nice to connect with people her age as well as her elders, but she was surprised to find out many people had fears like hers.
“I guess the thing that I was looking for was just more community outreach-based solutions and answers to the problems that we’re facing,” Donaldson said. “I genuinely believe that a lot of the reasons why America, or just yeah, America, in general, struggles is because they’re not community-based.”
By the end of the session, Donaldson said she was reminded that her “scarcity mindset” about the future isn’t reality. To Klibanoff, that refreshed mentality is the goal.
“I was very happy to see this kind of renewed imagination of what’s possible,” Donaldson said.
She sees imagination as the first step to the future. It’s also the first step toward the rest of the Youth250 program. They want to “gain as much input as possible” to create a toolkit. The replicable and scalable toolkit will provide tips, tools and tactics for institutions to reach young people.
The “pièce de résistance” of Youth250 is the Youth Bureau, according to Klibanoff. The nonprofit aims to put hundreds of adults in advisory roles across cultural and historical institutions. Functionally, it will be a National Youth Advisory Board that recruits, trains and activates young advisors to consult on plans for the 250th anniversary.
“Youth250’s mission is to ensure that there is youth input in the plans that come together for the 250th,” Klibanoff said.
After the first workshop the executive director said the official takeaways will likely be determined after the in-person series is complete, but she already knows there should be “major in person social components.” Donaldson echoed the sentiment — she hopes to see rappers in 2026.
