Golden’s founding pilot program demonstrates a new model for civic participation by bringing youth voices into community problem-solving from the very beginning.
GOLDEN, Colo. – Communities often ask young people what they think after decisions have already been made. The Golden Systems Change L.A.B. flips that model by inviting youth to help design solutions from the start.
On Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., community members, civic leaders, educators, and media are invited to attend the Systems Change L.A.B. Youth Pitch Night hosted in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines,, where up to 24 young people will present their ideas for strengthening community wellness in Golden. Event RSVP: https://luma.com/jxazh5sq ·
The event showcases an innovative approach to strengthening civic participation by engaging youth not simply as future leaders, but as leaders today. Rather than placing responsibility for solving the world’s challenges on young people, the Systems Change L.A.B. creates space for them to collaborate with university students, community mentors, business leaders, and elected officials who listen, learn, and help bring ideas to life.
Mayor Laura Weinberg serves as the program’s Civic Champion, and the program’s first act in any community, convening a cross-sector Systems Change Council of business, education, energy, finance, creative, academic, and community leaders, was carried out in Golden by Cuppari, Weinberg, and volunteer Council Director JJ Trout, a former Golden city councilor and the effort’s point person on the ground.
The Systems Change L.A.B. is a program of Dream Tank, the Colorado nonprofit founded by Heidi Cuppari that has spent a decade activating young people as designers of real-world solutions. Cuppari co-created the model with Rebecca Irby, founder and president of the PEAC Institute, whose international systems-change and peacebuilding work bridges local communities and United Nations civil-society spaces. The model was further shaped with insight from Mayor Laura Weinberg and prototyped with Brown University students, whose insistence that healing come first now informs everything the program does.
“I want the future of Golden to be designed by the residents who will be living in it.” said Mayor Laura Weinberg.
“If we don’t have the future in the room when we’re designing the future, what are we doing?” said Heidi Cuppari, founder of Dream Tank and co-creator of the Systems Change L.A.B.
“The Power of WE is ‘lo-bal’ change in action: local wisdom and global ideas coming together to create something stronger,” said Rebecca Irby, founder and president of the PEAC Institute
“Right now, Golden is grappling with a real need for change around how we address community problems head on, including racism. And the kids can feel that. And they can help build the community that they want to live in. This model is meant to shift minds and change systems by giving us a way to address real community challenges in real time.” – JJ Trout
The Youth Pitch Night culminates a one-day Systems Change L.A.B. experience that brings together:
- 12 Youth Dreamers (ages 8-14)
- 4 Golden High School Planning Interns
- 4 Colorado School of Mines Leadership Fellows
- 4 Dream Tank Youth Alumni Leaders
- 15 Community Leaders and Mentors
Together, participants tackle a real community wellness challenge and develop ideas designed to strengthen the lives of Golden residents.
Powerful Visuals and Story Opportunities
Media attending the event can expect compelling visuals and authentic moments throughout the evening, including:
- Youth presenters confidently pitching their ideas before an audience of community members and civic leaders.
- Colorful vision boards, sketches, prototypes, maps, and interactive displays created during the day’s collaborative design process.
- Cross-generational teams of youth, university students, mentors, and community leaders working side-by-side to develop solutions.
- Dynamic presentations that reveal how young people see the future of their community.
- Reactions from attendees as youth share bold, hopeful, and practical ideas for improving community wellness.
- Interview opportunities with youth participants, Mayor Laura Weinberg, Colorado School of Mines fellows, community leaders, and program organizers.
Why This Matters
Golden is the first city to pilot the Systems Change L.A.B., making it a national proving ground for a new approach to civic engagement and community problem-solving.
The model begins with young people’s passions, creativity, and strengths. It then connects them with adults who help transform those ideas into meaningful community action. What is being tested in Golden on August 7 will inform a larger 10-week Systems Change L.A.B. program in Summer 2027, culminating in a Local Action Blueprint presented to city leadership.
As communities across the country seek new ways to strengthen trust, participation, and belonging, Golden is demonstrating what becomes possible when young people are invited into the process from the beginning rather than the end.
Event Details
What: Systems Change L.A.B. Youth Pitch Night to the Community
When: Friday, Aug. 7, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Colorado School of Mines, Labriola Innovation Hub
Golden, Colorado
Learn More
For event details and information about the Systems Change L.A.B., visit Dream Tank’s Aug. 7 Event Page.
About the Systems Change L.A.B.
The Systems Change L.A.B. is a Dream Tank program, co-created by Heidi Cuppari with Rebecca Irby of the PEAC Institute and developed through collaboration with youth, university students, civic leaders, educators, and cross-sector community partners, and shaped by a decade of Dream Tank youth, families, and volunteers. Learn more at wearedreamtank.org.
About Dream Tank
Dream Tank Foundation is a Colorado 501(c)(3) that has spent a decade activating young people ages 8–28 as designers of real-world solutions, through accelerators, fellowships, and community programs that pair youth vision with mentors who help build it. wearedreamtank.org
About the PEAC Institute
The PEAC Institute is a global peacebuilding and systems-change organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Through facilitation, education, advocacy, and coalition-building, PEAC connects local knowledge and community leadership with global networks and proven methodologies to turn complex challenges into collaborative action. peacinstitute.org
About the Colorado School of Mines Partnership
The Colorado School of Mines hosts the Systems Change L.A.B. at its Labriola Innovation Hub and supports the participation of Mines student fellows, who serve as team facilitators throughout the program, connecting university engineering talent with the next generation of community problem-solvers.
Community Support
The August 7 program is supported by founding sponsors and community contributions, a City of Golden special event grant, and by Golden’s cross-sector Systems Change Council, and The event is free and open to the public.
Event & Media Resources
Event details: wearedreamtank.org/aug7 ·
Event RSVP: https://luma.com/jxazh5sq ·
Photos, logos, poster, and program overview: golden-aug7promo.netlify.app ·
Program film: youtube.com/watch?v=0Pe03FCxcbY
Media Contact
Heidi Cuppari · heidi@dreamtank.co · 917-699-8351 · Interviews available in advance and on site with youth participants (with family consent), Mayor Laura Weinberg, program founders, Mines fellows, and community leaders. Minors appear on camera only with documented family consent; our team will identify media-cleared participants on site.
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