In 2023, the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) announced an inaugural cohort of 26 youth-led initiatives would receive a total of $2 million in funding to support their advocacy for a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable technology ecosystem. The first-of-its-kind fund was made possible through generous investments from organizations including Hopelab, The Archewell Foundation, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Omidyar Network, Pivotal, and more across a range of disciplines. Hopelab sat down with the team from Cyber Collective, one of the inaugural cohort grant recipients, to learn about their year-long experience.
5 Questions with Cyber Collective:
Reflections on the 2023 RTYPF Cohort Experience
Hopelab: It’s been a year since you received the call from Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex letting you know you received a Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) grant. As you look back over the year how do you think this grant was able to impact the responsible technology space?
Cyber Collective: It has been quite an impactful year for the Cyber Collective team! Our goal is to help Gen Z and millennial digital natives understand critical tech topics and equip them with skills to protect themselves online – and we made progress by leveraging viral trends, pop, and Internet culture in some of our knowledge-building activities. We have a very active presence on TikTok and other social media platforms where we break down everything from how to shop online safely to handling a hacked account to AI dating scams. We also set out to expand our online resource library, which includes tailored content addressing privacy, security, mis/disinformation, and AI ethics. We now have over 100 digital resources to explore on our site! These resources feature expert-verified information designed to make it easier for people to feel safer and more confident in their digital experiences.
Hopelab: Did you find that the activities you initially planned to do shifted over the course of the year? What drove that shift or what helped you to stay on course?
Cyber Collective: Our goal was to use our RTYPF grant to develop a public awareness campaign to empower young people to become more safe, secure, and confident online. As we took on phase one, which involved developing the campaign creative strategy with our team, we transformed our work into the development and amplification of a core educational program called “Internet Street Smarts.” In phase two, which we’re currently working on, we’re expanding the digital experience and building partnerships to help as many people as possible understand how to protect themselves online. Receiving the actual grant was a huge catalyst. It helped us turn our idea for an awareness campaign into a formal program to ensure lasting impact AND allowed our two leaders, CEO and Founder Tazin Khan and Chief Strategy Officer Callie Rojewski, to work on Cyber Collective full-time.
Being so hands-on allowed us to build a stronger foundation for our programs and overall collective experience. We realized that we needed to upgrade and test our content and resources to ensure engagement and accessibility. Inspiring community and reaching people in their day-to-day lives was an important part of the experience we aimed to deliver. We created merch and a password journal. These products allow our community to represent our mission and values, bringing our curriculum and recommended behavior changes into people’s homes. We even created a give/get model for the password journal, getting our community involved in helping their loved ones and communities as well.
Hopelab: As a member of the RTYPF cohort, you had the unique opportunity to engage in learning community sessions. These sessions provided a platform for your peers to openly share their experiences and insights about their work. What, if anything, did you find most valuable about being part of this intergenerational learning community?
Cyber Collective: The most valuable aspect of being part of this intergenerational learning community was the wealth of diverse perspectives and experiences shared. Engaging with peers from different backgrounds and age groups allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the various challenges and innovative solutions being implemented across the responsible technology space. This cross-generational dialogue not only enriched our approach but also highlighted the importance of inclusive and collaborative efforts in driving meaningful change. The open exchange of ideas fostered a supportive environment where we could learn from each other’s successes and setbacks, ultimately strengthening our collective impact.
Hopelab: Considering your unique journey, what insights or advice would you like to share with a future RTYPF cohort member?
Cyber Collective: Our journey with the RTYPF has been transformative, and we have several insights to share with future cohort members:
- Embrace Flexibility: Be open to adapting your plans as new opportunities and challenges arise. The ability to pivot and iterate based on real-time feedback and experiences is crucial for sustained impact.
- Leverage the RTYPF Network: Utilize the connections and relationships formed within the cohort. Collaborate, share resources, and support each other. The collective strength of the community can amplify individual efforts and drive broader change.
- Focus on Sustainability: Think beyond the grant period and develop plans that ensure the longevity and scalability of your programs. Building a solid foundation during your time with the RTYPF will set you up for future success.
By embracing these tips, future RTYPF cohort members can maximize their impact and contribute to a more responsible and equitable technology landscape.
Hopelab: Anything else you’d like to share about your RTYPF experience?
Cyber Collective: Being a part of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund was transformative for our organization. The connections with other grant recipients, the media exposure, the learning community, and other program opportunities allowed us to build a foundation for our collective experience and infrastructure, setting us up to scale and achieve exponential impact. It takes a collective to empower 5.3 billion Internet users to feel safer, secure, and confident in their digital experiences and RTYPF – through funding and community – allowed us to get closer to that goal, increasing the long-term impact of the responsible technology movement.
Learn more about RTYPF here.
