Press Release
ReThink Citizens and LookUp Join Forces to Build a Reciprocal Pipeline for Youth-Led Responsible Tech Solutions
The two organizations are joining forces so that young innovators can keep building and leading across both communities
August 4, 2026 – Today, LookUp welcomes ReThink Citizens as a partner in building the next generation of youth-led responsible technology solutions. Now, the two organizations are creating a reciprocal pipeline to resource and empower young digital changemakers ready to ReThink the internet.
The partnership connects ReThink Citizens' Youth Coalition (RCYC) with LookUp's digital wellness expertise, microgrants, and Social Innovator community — so young innovators can keep developing as leaders across both organizations. Starting this fall, the two programs are opening their doors to each other, so neither is the final stop in a young changemaker's journey.
Each organization is opening a door for the other's innovators:
From LookUp to RCYC: Recipients of LookUp's Social Innovator grants receive priority consideration when they apply to RCYC, giving them a next step into an 8-week incubator powering solutions to digital harms. LookUp's older innovators (ages 18–25) can apply to be a Youth Leader — a paid peer mentor role that lets them support younger innovators in the cohort while continuing to develop their own projects.
From RCYC to LookUp: At the culminating Fall 2026 Youth Coalition Showcase on October 29, where Coalition members will pitch their solutions to digital harms to the broader responsible tech community, LookUp will serve as guest judges and digital wellness experts. The top-scoring pitch will receive a $2,500 microgrant and join LookUp's community as a Social Innovator — carrying the momentum forward.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining forces with a leading organization in this space,” said ReThink Citizens Founder and CEO Trisha Prabhu. “By working together, we can more effectively resource and empower the growing number of young people who want to rethink the digital status quo.”
The numbers back that up: since applications opened on June 22, over 900 young people have expressed interest in joining the Fall 2026 Youth Coalition — for a cohort that will consist of 15-20 members. The demand is a signal in itself: today's youth are ready to dream, to build, to realize — ready to bring to life the digital and AI future they deserve, for themselves and their peers. We're honored to help empower them to do it.
“LookUp believes in and trusts young leaders to redefine and create a safer, mentally healthier, more responsible digital world. We provide the support needed to turn their ideas into reality through our LookUp Innovation Challenge (LUIC). Our digital and IRL world is desperate for what young people bring to the table. The synergetic union with ReThink Citizens allows us to give that tangible belief (and early-stage funding) to those just starting on a much larger scale. It’s an honor to stand by ReThink Citizens” - Susan Reynolds, Co-Founder & Board Chair, LookUp.
ReThink Citizens and LookUp see this partnership as a model for how organizations across the responsible tech space can work together — not just by making room for young people at the table, but to resource their ideas, back their leadership, and equip them with the tools to shape our digital future on their own terms.
About ReThink Citizens
ReThink Citizens is a youth-led nonprofit with the mission of educating and empowering today's young people to create the digital world they deserve. Its Youth Coalition (RCYC) is a first-of-its-kind incubator that resources young innovators building solutions to digital harms through an 8-week Innovator Academy, mentorship, and a culminating public Showcase. Learn more about the Youth Coalition: rethinkcitizens.org/youth-coalition/.
About LookUp
LookUp believes young people have the right to thrive in the digital world. Through its Social Innovator community and microgrants, LookUp funds young people ages 18–25 with big ideas for digital wellness — before anyone else will. Learn more about LookUp's Social Innovator community: lookup.live/innovators26
Media Contact
Marrow Canady Sallows, Youth Coalition Program Manager
marrow.woods@rethinkcitizens.org
Augusta Oleary, Marketing Intern
augusta@lookup.live
