Yep! Youth Engagement Planning

What Yep! Youth Engagement Planning does

YEP! Youth Engagement Planning is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that educates K-12 youth and the planning profession about urban planning and civic engagement. The organization is fully volunteer-run under Founder & Executive Director Corrin Hoegen Wendell, FAICP, with a board that includes senior APA division leaders and planning principals at firms such as Design Workshop. Its core programmatic offerings are Planning Day in School (a classroom-based curriculum built from 16+ original trademarked modules), the Adventures in Planning 9-week course for grades 3-8, YEP! Camp (a one-week summer program hosted at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School), the Girls Who Plan initiative co-developed with APA's Women & Planning Division, and a three-tier Girl Scout City Planning Patch curriculum (Daisy through Ambassador). Supporting these programs are downloadable workbooks ($10 each), a 7-webinar on-demand training package ($199 bundle / $35 individual), printable play mats and coloring pages, branded merchandise sold through Threadless and Amazon, and custom consulting plus keynote speaking for municipalities and conferences.

The organization's revenue model is diversified across five streams: tax-deductible donations (one-time to annual recurring at $10-40 preset amounts), small-ticket educational product sales via its Squarespace-hosted storefront, summer camp fees ($350-380 per camper with scholarships), consumer merchandise, and professional services consulting and keynotes for municipalities, school districts, and conferences nationally and internationally. Its go-to-market is event- and community-led, anchored by repeat APA National Planning Conference presentations (NPC18, NPC19, NPC22, NPC25, NPC26), features in Planning Magazine and APA newsletters, partnerships with Girl Scouts of America, Girls Inc., and the University of Minnesota, and earned media through planning trade publications. Distribution runs through YEP!'s own website store, Amazon (books), Threadless (merchandise), and direct sales for consulting and camps.

Since 2006, YEP! has engaged over 10,000 students and reports reach across 85+ countries, supported by recognition including the 2024 APA Minnesota Chapter Planning Excellence Award, the 2026 APA Divisions Council Contribution to the Planning Profession Award, the 2023 Thornton Education Trust Award for Best International Non-Profit, and multiple 2019 APA division awards. The organization holds no disclosed funding rounds, operates no parent-subsidiary structure, and has no paid headcount disclosure, reflecting its volunteer- and donation-supported operating model.

Name

Yep! Youth Engagement Planning

Legal name

YEP! Youth Engagement Planning

Website

https://youthengagementplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

YEP! Youth Engagement Planning is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that educates K-12 youth, Girl Scouts, urban planners, and municipalities about civic engagement and urban planning through trademarked classroom curriculum, summer camps, a children's book, webinars, and consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education in Urban Planning

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Youth civic education
• Urban planning curriculum
• STEAM education programs
• Community engagement consulting
• Planner professional development

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including shirts, totes, stickers, buttons through Threadless shop. All proceeds support YEP!'s mission as a registered 501(c)(3) charity.
2. Educational Products: Sale of educational materials including curriculum downloads ($10), webinars ($35 individual, $199 bundle), play mats, coloring pages, and guidebooks to schools, educators, and individuals.
3. Summer Camp Fees: YEP! Camp one-week program fees at $350 (early bird) or $380 per camper for students entering grades 3-8. Scholarships available for eligible students.
4. Consulting Services: Custom consulting services for municipalities, organizations, private firms, and school districts to create youth-friendly spaces, programs, and services. Includes keynote speaking services for conferences nationally and internationally.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. One-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual donation options available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YEP! Youth Engagement Planning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and delivers educational programs and curriculum to teach K-12 youth about urban planning and civic engagement. Core offerings include the Ava Tanner children's book series, a 9-week Adventures in Planning course, the Planning Day in School classroom program, YEP! Camp summer program, the Girls Who Plan program, and the Girl Scout City Planning Patch curriculum. The organization also provides consulting, workshops, and keynote speaking to municipalities, school districts, and planning professionals.

Product overview

YEP! Youth Engagement Planning is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) focused on educating young people (grades K-12 and beyond) about urban planning and civic engagement. The organization operates as a single unified mission rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core educational offerings include: the award-winning Ava Tanner The City Planner children's book; the Adventures in Planning 9-week course; Planning Day in School curriculum program; YEP! Camp (summer program); Girls Who Plan program; and Girl Scout City Planning Patch & Curriculum. Supporting these programs are downloadable resources including the Youth Engagement Action Plan Workbook, A Guide to Youth Engagement, Youth Engagement Best Practices guide, and 7-webinar package. The organization also sells merchandise (shirts, totes, stickers, pins) through Threadless and offers consulting services, workshops for planners, and keynote speaking engagements. Founded in 2006, YEP! has engaged over 10,000 students nationwide and reached 85+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ava Tanner The City Planner: Award-winning children's book introducing elementary audiences to city planning concepts through a story about a young girl who dreams of turning a neglected area into a community park.
• Girls Who Plan
• YEP! Camp
• Planning Day in School

Products and services

• Ava Tanner The City Planner (children's book) Children's book introducing K-12 youth to urban planning concepts through a sing-song rhyming verse story about Ava Tanner turning a neglected area into a community park, including a glossary and open-ended follow-up activity. Available in paperback and eBook via Amazon and direct bulk orders.
• YEP! Adventures in Planning 9-Week Course 9-week immersive, project-based learning experience for grades 5-8 introducing fundamentals of city planning and civic leadership through hands-on activities aligned with STEAM elements. Sold as a standalone $10 downloadable curriculum.
• Planning Day in School In-classroom curriculum program with original trademarked modules covering what planners do, key planning vocabulary, map exercises, zoning, transportation, community design, and activities customizable for a class period, half-day, or full-day session.
• YEP! Camp One-week immersive summer program held at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School for students entering grades 3-8, introducing them to urban planning, architecture, engineering, art, technology, science, math, design, landscape architecture, and civic leadership through hands-on projects, field trips, and real-world planning challenges.
• Girls Who Plan Program developed in collaboration with APA's Women & Planning Division that inspires girls to be strong leaders and advocates for change in their communities while addressing the gap of women entering the planning field.
• Girl Scout City Planning Patch & Curriculum Three-tiered patch curriculum for Girl Scouts (City Planner Adventures for Daisy K-1/Brownie 2-3, Urban Planning Explorers for Junior 4-5/Cadette 6-8, and City Planning Pioneers for Senior 9-10/Ambassador 11-12) covering city foundations, sustainable cities, transportation, and community engagement; patches sold at $3 each.
• All 7 Webinars Package Bundle of 7 on-demand webinars covering the Making of Ava Tanner, A Guide to Youth Engagement, a Keynote on Youth as Present Leaders, Engaging Youth in Planning Process, Youth Engagement Best Practices, Planning Day in School Training, and It's More Than Elementary, sold as a $199 package.
• Consulting Services Custom consulting services assisting municipalities, organizations, private firms, and school districts in forging stronger connections with youth, creating youth-friendly spaces, programs, and services. Includes custom programming, event hosting, curriculum creation, keynote speaking, and integration of youth into planning processes.
• Workshops for Planners Practical, participatory workshops that empower urban planners to engage youth in every stage of the planning process, paired with hands-on volunteering opportunities in local schools.
• Keynote Speaking Dynamic keynote speaking delivered at national and international conferences, focusing on integrating youth perspectives into urban planning and community development.
• YEP! Youth Engagement Action Plan Workbook Hands-on downloadable workbook helping planning professionals and organizations develop clear, strategic, and effective youth engagement plans through step-by-step guidance on setting goals, identifying partners, designing activities, and measuring success. Sold as a $10 download.
• A Guide to Youth Engagement Practical downloadable guide for planners, educators, and community leaders outlining steps for building trust, fostering creativity, and empowering youth voices in decision-making, applicable from classroom activities to city-wide initiatives. Sold as a $10 download.
• Youth Engagement Best Practices Downloadable best practices guide created in partnership with the University of Minnesota, highlighting innovative youth engagement programs, inclusive engagement methods, and success stories from communities across the country. Sold as a $10 download.
• City Planning Play Mat (Printable) Printable play mat of up to 24 x 36 featuring urban design themes, available in colorful and black-and-white versions for use in coloring and city planning activities. Sold as a $10 download.
• Branded Merchandise - Shirts & Totes Branded merchandise including t-shirts, totes, and bodysuits sold through the Threadless print-on-demand shop at yep.threadless.com, with all proceeds supporting YEP!'s 501(c)(3) mission.
• Stickers, Pins & Swag Branded accessories and swag including Girls Who Plan pins priced at $5, YEP! buttons at $1, Rainbow YEP! stickers at $2, Girl Scout patches at $3, and Ava Tanner sticker pages at $2, sold through the YEP! website store.

Quantifiable outcome

• Engaged over 10,000 students since 2006
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DoSomething.org: Large youth civic engagement nonprofit mobilizing young people in campaigns and community service — comparable as a much larger incumbent working through the same broad youth-civic engagement segment.
• Junior Achievement USA: Large, established K-12 education nonprofit delivering curriculum in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship through schools nationwide — comparable as a much broader incumbent operating in adjacent K-12 curriculum territory.
• Planetizen: Established commercial urban planning education and training platform serving planning professionals and the public — comparable as the dominant commercial training/credentialing channel in the planning space where YEP! also operates.

Direct peers

• Center for Civic Education (Project Citizen): Runs Project Citizen, a teacher-led K-12 civic education curriculum focused on public policy participation — comparable as a long-standing civics curriculum nonprofit targeting the same K-12 schools and teachers as YEP!.
• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit that brings civics action-based learning into K-12 classrooms through close school partnerships, paid staff, and direct service delivery — closely comparable to YEP!'s approach of using professional volunteers to embed civic/planning education inside schools.
• iCivics: Largest U.S. provider of free civics curriculum, games, and lesson plans for K-12 students with national distribution and philanthropic backing — directly comparable as a curriculum-led civic education nonprofit operating through schools and teachers.
• Mikva Challenge: Chicago-founded nonprofit developing youth voice in civic and policy processes, including youth-written policy proposals in cities — directly comparable to YEP!'s youth civic engagement and youth-in-planning focus.

Others

• CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement): Tufts-based research center focused on youth civic engagement evidence and evaluation, adjacent to YEP!'s mission through research, evaluation, and dissemination supporting the youth civic engagement field.

Emerging players

• By the People (formerly Mikva/related civic engagement org): Civic engagement nonprofit that runs participatory deliberation programs and Action Civics curricula for youth — adjacent in mission and K-12 channel to YEP!.
• Kidocracy: Smaller civic engagement nonprofit working with schools to amplify student voice in community decision-making — comparable as a niche, K-12-focused civic engagement organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yep! Youth Engagement Planning