Contact: Caroline Klibanoff
History Made By Us
100 Young Americans Selected for National Youth250 Bureau
The Only National Effort to Involve Gen Z in the Planning
of America’s 250th Anniversary in 2026
Atlanta, Ga. – December 20, 2024 — Made By Us, the national coalition of museums and historic sites connecting young people to our country through civic engagement, announced the creation of the Youth250 Bureau, a first-of-its-kind, free Gen Z “hotline” assisting museums and organizations in the planning of commemorative events for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Bureau serves as a critical resource for our nation’s most revered institutions, ensuring semiquincentennial anniversary initiatives resonate with the future of our nation–its youth.
The Bureau’s 100 members are aged 18 to 30, from 45 states and territories and represent a diverse, non-partisan cross-section of our country. Bureau members are students, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and creators and all participants engaged in 20 hours of training and coaching in human-centered design, history, consulting, storytelling and more. As museums continue to transform into gathering places of civic engagement, making them “youth friendly” is critical.
The American story has always been written by young people. While only 39% of 18-29 year-olds think the “American Dream” is still possible, studies show that having an engaged youth voice is correlated with increased civic participation. Today’s youth want a better future as well as a say in planning it. The Youth250 Bureau enables members of Gen Z to lead discussions and drive change that will benefit young people across our nation.
“Members of Gen Z have the most at stake because they are the future of our nation and therefore have the biggest incentive to make their voices heard,” said Caroline Klibanoff, Executive Director of Made By Us and a New America US@250 Senior Fellow. “The Youth250 Bureau members are at the service of America’s most trusted institutions, putting their valuable creativity, input and experience into this moment in history.”
The Youth250 Bureau is supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and launched in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives Foundation, National Park Service, Teen Vogue, DoSomething, CoGenerate, PBS, American Association for State and Local History, and Pulso. The project builds on cross-generational workshops held this past summer at the Atlanta History Center, Conner Prairie, Eastern State Penitentiary and Utah Historical Society.
“The future of our nation is its youth,” states Anthea Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, “The Youth250 Bureau is a valuable resource for any organization planning commemorations for America’s 250th anniversary. Youth perspective and input is vital not only for programs, events and exhibits being considered, but to the future of our institutions.”
In addition to the creation of the Youth250 Bureau, other youth-centric events planned by Made By Us for Gen Z include:
- Civic Season: An annual tradition from June 19-July 4 for learning history and civic upskilling, featuring events, celebrations and conversations at hundreds of historic sites, museums and communities across the country.
- My Wish for U.S. Smithsonian Pop-Up: During Civic Season, a graffiti wall will be installed at Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History enabling thousands of visitors to answer the question: What’s your wish for America’s future?
For more information, please contact Caroline@HistoryMadeByUs.org.
Learn more at Youth250.org.
About Made By Us
Made By Us is a coalition of hundreds of history museums and historic sites joining forces to inform and ignite Gen Z civic participation, powered by history. We connect young people in every corner of the nation with our shared past, present and future. Made By Us is collectively led by Atlanta History Center, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Colonial Williamsburg, Conner Prairie, First Americans Museum, HistoryMiami Museum, National Archives Foundation, New-York Historical Society, Senator John Heinz History Center, and Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Learn more at: HistoryMadeByUs.org.