What If Every Young Person Had the Support to Cultivate Their Purpose?
Imagine a world where every young person grows up in a system that helps them cultivate and maintain their sense of purpose—not by accident, but by design. That’s the bold question Purpose Commons is asking—and one we’re proud to tackle together.
That’s why In Tandem is thrilled to announce our new partnership with Purpose Commons, a dynamic learning network dedicated to co-creating systems that center youth as experts in their own development. Together, we’re working to ensure that youth aren’t just participants in conversations about purpose, identity, and mental well-being—they’re leading them.
Organization Spotlight: Purpose Commons
Purpose Commons is building a dynamic learning network where collaborators across the youth development ecosystem work together to ask the questions that matter to young people and put ideas into action. From youth contribution and mental health to social connection and community engagement, they foster partnerships that explore how we can better nurture a sense of purpose and possibility in the lives of youth.
Incubated by our friends at Hopelab, Purpose Commons also partners closely with the Purpose Science and Innovation Exchange (PSiX) at Cornell University to connect leading research with real-world youth experiences, ensuring that science informs practice and lived experiences guide research questions.
As a growing, impact-driven organization, Purpose Commons is committed to:
- Centering youth voices in research and resource design
- Bringing youth in as co-creators and thought leaders
- Facilitating community conversations led by young people
Their goal? A future where the systems and structures youth rely on are intentionally designed to support the cultivation and pursuit of their purpose.
How We’re Partnering to Cultivate Purpose
In Tandem is partnering with Purpose Commons to amplify youth voices and build the infrastructure needed for authentic, sustained engagement as they expand their reach. Together, we’re focused on making youth collaboration not just possible—but foundational.
We’re partnering to:
✅ Support diverse youth collaborators to inform and co-design research, tools, and initiatives.
✅ Empower youth as leaders and co-creators in shaping how purpose is understood, accessed, and cultivated.
✅ Bridge the gap between what youth-serving organizations (YSOs) produce and what young people actually want and need.
✅ Establish a recurring Youth Advisory Board and integrate youth partners into the full R&D cycle—from hypothesis testing to data translation to co-designing scalable interventions.
It’s not just about asking young people what they think—it’s about building systems where their insights shape what comes next.
Through a phased, co-led approach—including focus groups, peer insight-gathering, and ongoing youth advisory collaboration—In Tandem provides the structure, training, and safeguards to ensure youth engagement is not only equitable, but impactful.
Why In Tandem?
At In Tandem, we know that any youth-centered work only succeeds when youth are truly at the center. By partnering with Purpose Commons, we’re creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration, where young people are treated as experts, not afterthoughts.
From idea to implementation, we’re helping organizations like Purpose Commons design systems where youth purpose isn’t an outcome—it’s the starting point.
Learn More
🎧 LISTEN to the story of four young people who explored their purpose through The Contribution Project, a shared project of the Purpose Commons and PSiX at Cornell.
📩 SUBSCRIBE to the Purpose Commons mailing list.
📲 FOLLOW Purpose Commons on LinkedIn.
🎥 WATCH Dr. Anthony Burrow, Associate Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Co-Founder of Purpose Commons, explain how purpose shapes our experiences.
📄READ about the impact of social media on teen brain development featuring insights from Jana Haritatos, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Hopelab and Co-Founder of Purpose Commons.