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During our Critical Friends meeting, we didn’t get a lot of constructive criticism apart from being told that we were “lost”. The panel during our first official presentation had varying opinions, but they were still helpful. We will definitely look into the feedback before our final presentation. I like how they prompted us to realize that we needed to go more in depth on some of our ideas.

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We needed a bit to take in the feedback from the judge panel and fellow Future Prep’d members, but we took the time to discuss each piece of constructive criticism and build up from it.

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In the observing stage we looked at our driving question and made a bunch of catagories and sub-catagories of potential solutions to the problem.

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In the incubation stage, we generated 100 ideas and condensed it down to 6 potential solutions. We hit lots of roadblocks but after critical friends we chose 1 NUF solution - Social media/advertising. 

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In the incubation stage, we generated 100 ideas and condensed it down to 6 potential solutions. We hit lots of roadblocks but after critical friends we chose 1 NUF solution - Social media/advertising. 

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Looking through our feedback from the judging panel.

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Looking through our feedback from the judging panel.

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We met with another team to do a critical friends protocol. Students gave a brief pitch summarizing our process and then received feedback from the students in another group. We also gave feedback to them on their potential solutions.

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Brainstorming and key ideas

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Students clarified the driving question with the League representative at each meeting. They also were intentional with age group data in the survey in order to see trends.

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We created a list of all possible stakeholders related to our problem. We then narrowed that list to a Top 5 and a Top 2.

We used the top 2 stakeholders to create empathy maps.

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Getting People to Vote

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We created empathy maps for our top two stakeholders--The League of Women Voters and young voters.

We looked at what these groups would see/hear/think/say/do if our project was successful.

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First, our students used sticky notes to come up with questions and wonderings related to the driving question individually.

At the end of Day 1, our students created a diagram together to show their big ideas and questions related to the driving question.

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Meeting with critical friends

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Students narrowed ideas to a few categories at the end of week 1. They revisited their top ideas at the beginning of week 2 and narrowed to education topics. Part of the challenge was to leave behind some good ideas, even though they are good!

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The League of Women Voters of Holland is working to increase participation of young people in voting. Currently, 20% or less young people vote, especially in non general elections.

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Students developed ideas throughout the process. They used sticky notes, AI, discussion, and meeting with League members to help narrow down ideas.

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How can we encourage young people to vote?

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In this project, students are learning standards related to Civics and Government. In addition, they are learning the skills of working alongside students and adults of all ages.

Students have also tied in statistics and data analysis after working with a survey downtown Holland.

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We learned about finances from Jason at Idema Explorers Camp. We saw the similarities and differences between something that was created by humans and something that was preserved in nature. We visited yurts and treehouses and got to tour the campsite.

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Our ambassador Paula invited all members of the Civic Engagement committee at the League to attend our final presentation.

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We will be focusing on Ethical Citizenship and Communication in the Skills4Success framework.

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Students worked with the League throughout the two weeks to get critique about their ideas. In addition, meeting with Critical Friends allowed the team to refine their topics.

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Students continued to seek feedback from teacher leaders and League members. They reflected and refined their idea in order to simplify it down to one idea.

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We entered each partner meeting with a direct goal in mind. Sometimes, we strayed from this goal. But, the students were still able to get good data and information that helped clarify the purpose of our work as well as what the League is already doing in this area.

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We met with our stakeholders on day 2, 3, and 4 to review our progress thus far. We asked questions to learn more about LWV and their work in the community.

Each day we hosted a specific LWV member with varied expertise in order to gain insight and awareness about their area of the League.

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What went well in this stage? Our team was very prepared for this presentation. We were confident and that showed in how we presented. We felt that we answered the follow-up questions well.

What surprised you? The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive and helpful.

What would you do differently next time? Check that our technology was working properly. We had a small hiccup with the TikTok videos playing.

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We got to know each other over lunch and on our drive to Spring Lake. We did the Creative DNA project to learn about our team strengths. Each day we have had a "Question of the Day" to build community and generate conversation. Questions ranged from "What did you listen to on your drive this morning?" to "Which fruit is your least favorite?".

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What went well in this stage? Our team was able to narrow down solutions, but also respected each team member's perspective. They did an excellent job of respecting all ideas while also having to significantly cut down on them.

What surprised you? By this stage, our team took the reins and were able to narrow down without much guidance from teachers.

What would you do differently next time? The biggest difficulty for the team was narrowing down ideas to one solution. Next time, it might be wise to have the business partner more involved to see what ideas are feasible for their company.

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What resources do you need for the Validation Stage?

We used Canva, Instagram, and TikTok to prep and record posts and videos. Google Slides were created for the final presentation. We also used paper and notecards to script and prepare for the final presentation.

Members of the League came to our final presentation to hear more about the work we have done over the two weeks.

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It is evident that the League wants young people to be informed and active in voting. The challenge is to determine how effective they are when looking at who does and does not vote.

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How do you plan on checking in with your groups during and after the investigation stage?

After meeting with our business partner at the end of day 2 and 3, we summarized and identified more wonderings for our next meeting.

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Please include a picture of each teacher and a summary sentence on where and what you teach.

Dr. Rachel Coussens--I have been working at Zeeland East High School for 11 years. I currently teach Algebra 1, Geometry, and Guided Studies.

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What resources do you need for the Solutions Stage? Sticky notes, dot stickers (for dot voting), computers to begin putting together a presentation.

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What went well in this stage? Our team received good feedback from the critical friends process. We felt the other team was a bit "harsh" but we honestly needed that feedback to help us progress.

What surprised you? How well our team responded to the pressure of a time crunch. When we felt the clock ticking, we were better focused and productive.

What would you do differently next time? Find multiple teams to do Critical Friends with and begin that earlier in the process.

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Mrs. Alexa Spruit - - I have been teaching social studies at Hamilton High School for 14 years.  I currently teach World History and AP World History. I have been doing Future Prep'd programs for over a decade and love embedding the protocols I have learned in my classroom.   

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What went well in this stage? Our students excelled at investigation! They didn't need to be held back from jumping to the solution stage. They researched well via computers, face-to-face interactions, and interviews with our ambassadors.

What surprised you? The team struggled to get responses to our survey, but they continually put themselves out there and kept trying.

What would you do differently? Having more time would have made the investigation stage more thorough.

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What resources do you need for the Observation Stage?

We traveled to Spring Lake and Grand Haven to see Ottawa County Parks in action. We used the Hopes/Fears/Norms poster, sticky notes, and poster paper throughout our observation stage.

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What resources do you need for the Investigation Stage?

We used chart paper and sticky notes to create our lists and maps. While interviewing downtown Holland, the students created a QR code and Google Forms survey and shared it with downtown patrons to collect interview data.

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We have a great group! - Dr. Coussens

I'm so glad we don't have to drive a big van! - Mrs. Spruit

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What went well in this stage? Our team had investigated so well that coming up with ideas seemed very easy and feasible. They had many ideas at the ready!

What surprised you? Students' use of AI helped to generate more tech-based ideas than they had initially come up with.

What would you do differently? While we checked in a few times, it is always hard to tell if all team members have full buy-in. Finding ways to hear team hesitations would be helpful to ensure buy in.

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What resources do you need for checking in with your students?

Storyboards

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Please add a few quotes from students about their experience. Use first names only.

Getting people to respond to our survey is really hard! -Jada

I wonder where we can find young people to talk to? -Allina

We have four people on our team like the four teletubbies. Who wants to be our sun baby? -Allina

Paula is so cool! -Elaine

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work, to reflect on the authentic audience, the pitch, the final product. Include any information/pictures from your community partner.

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Please get a quote from the business partner.

We are excited to work with more young people and really make a difference! -Paula

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What went well in this stage? Our team bonded very quickly. Initially they were very quiet, but they found common ground in their interests and this allowed for them to build a sense of community.

What surprised you? The diversity of our team. The team was comprised of many different grade levels, different schools, and different personalities.

What would you do differently?

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What resources do you need for the Incubation Stage? Lots and lots of sticky notes!

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work, links to reflect how your students built empathy, determined Need to Knows, and uncovered important information to solve their driving question?

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work, and written documentation to reflect how teams were built, how students uncovered and understood the driving question, the standards covered, and the launch into the project

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work to reflect how your students came up with multiple ideas.

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work to reflect on the check ins done throughout the project.  How did students reflect throughout the process? How did student critique and revise?

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of works to reflect on how students narrowed their ideas, determined their best solution, and developed the solution.

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Take time to reflect on what went well. What will you change for next year? What feedback did you get from students, the business partner, the authentic audience that can help make this project even better?

Our experience with iChallengeU 2026 has been great. Our team, while small, has been very focused and eager to provide a strong solution to the League of Women Voters.

Team Feedback: Our driving question, while open-ended, is difficult to work with. A more specific definition of target audience, location, and purpose would have made the question easier to work with.

Ambassador Feedback: The League has been doing a much better job of reaching out to students (via this program, presence in local high schools, and other connections) yet they aren't seeing an increase in League membership as a result. Perhaps a future driving question could be "How do we increase the number of League members under the age of 30?"