The New Youth City Learning Network is a collection of New York youth-serving organizations (e.g., schools, libraries, after-school programs, and museums) working together to harness their collective skills and resources to develop and promote interest-driven learning experiences for local youth.

The planning phase of the network (October 2008-September 2009) used a design charrette methodology to bring together prospective institutions to build social infrastructure, brainstorm potential project ideas, and develop agility in design thinking. The planning phase also produced a working prototype of an exemplary learning product called Mannahatta: The Game. The mobile, location-based game, developed by a team at Parsons The New School for Design for the iPhone platform, was built on the complex, geo-referenced database of species relationships that existed within the ecosystems of Manhattan in 1609. The database was developed as ‘The Mannahatta Project’ (http://themannahattaproject.org/) by Dr. Eric Sanderson of the Wildlife Conservation Society, a member organization of the learning network. The objective of the game, which will continue to be developed in the development phase, is to advance literacy in systems thinking by enabling players to make connections between the historical flora and fauna that flourished at the same spot as their current location on the island.

The development phase of New Youth City commenced in October 2009. Ties among youth-serving organizations will continue to be strengthen during this phase via a proposal competition for seed money to support teams of multiple organizations to develop new or extend existing projects that build on the theme of neighborhood as learning context. Successive rounds of review, both by peer institutions as well as the MacArthur Foundation, will identify a handful of projects to move forward into development. In addition to funding, winning collaborative teams will receive technical and design support to augment their limited internal capacities. The goal is to provide the opportunity for project prototypes to be displayed and publicized at the Maker Faire to be held in New York City in September 2010.

At its full execution, New Youth City Learning Network will provide students and families the opportunity to connect formal and nonformal activities for students in deliberate, engaging and advancing ways, provide formal and non-formal learning organizations the opportunity to experiment with innovative activities and strategies in a low-cost, low-risk, potentially high-gain initiative, and provide local businesses and governmental entities a means to identify and invest in a holistic 21st century learning reform that benefits the youth, the organizations, and the community of New York City.