High Aspirations has partnered with Crema to conduct a technology discovery exercise that will shape the future of community engagement for their youth mentorship program.
Since 2003, High Aspirations has transformed the lives of young African American men, fostering social, academic, emotional, and spiritual development through its research-backed, relationship-based youth development approach. The organization operates from their 30,000 square foot mentoring campus in Kansas City and has achieved remarkable outcomes, helping mentees improve their GPAs by 17% and successfully transitioning graduates to college, military service, trades, or stable employment.
"High Aspirations is doing incredible work in our community, and when they asked us to help figure out how technology could better serve their mission, it was an easy yes. These bright young men deserve every advantage we can give them, and I'm excited to discover what's possible when we really listen to what they need."
As High Aspirations continues to evolve and expand their impact, they're exploring how technology can strengthen connections and foster deeper engagement among mentees, mentors, parents, and partners. This engagement focuses on thorough discovery, ensuring any digital solution truly resonates with the High Aspirations community and supports mentee engagement and development.
The collaboration will include:
- Alignment workshops & interviews with staff, mentors, parents, and mentees
- User research to identify critical needs and low-friction experiences
- Assessment of available tools and scalable architecture design
- Development of a phased product roadmap aligned with High Aspirations' program milestones
Throughout this work, the teams will explore what drives meaningful engagement among mentees and mentors, what types of digital interactions would foster greater belonging and consistency, and which technology approach best meets the organization's current and future needs.
The outcome of this discovery phase will be a clear set of insights, opportunities, and recommendations for a community platform tailored to the culture, needs, and goals of High Aspirations.
