Where We Started

In/Tend is grounded and nourished by the wealth of information and foundation of learnings from the adolescent sexual and reproductive health field.

Our teams will develop cutting-edge innovations that are both informed by and can benefit the field. Teams that develop promising prototypes can disrupt existing practice and expand what’s possible for adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

What It Is

In/Tend is Healthy Teen Network’s Innovation Incubator Hub, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs.

Our vibrant ecosystem is made up of…

• A blend of human-centered design and liberatory design principles grounds creativity and imagination in equity and justice;
• Hand-in-hand collaboration with the people you’re designing for;
• A nurturing environment with coaching and mentorship from experts in health, design, and equity; and
• A connection to other Innovation Hubs, including Accelerators, to test, refine, and package what’s promising.

Key Partners

We are a community garden with many partners. Child Trends serves as the evaluator. In addition, we collaborate with an Equity Accountability Board and subject matter experts.

Together, our project team includes individuals with diverse skills and lived experiences, including those with expertise in adolescent sexual and reproductive health; reproductive justice; LGBTQ+, Native American, and disability rights and advocacy; diversity, equity, and inclusion; innovative approaches to research and design; and more.

Why It Matters

With In/Tend, we envision a world that affirms and celebrates every young person for who they are and ensures that they have they agency, opportunity, and equitable access to prioritize their bodies, relationships, and futures.

We’re on a mission to enhance the sexual and reproductive health of all young people.

We’re on a mission to enhance the sexual and reproductive health of all young people.

To do this, we’re cultivating teams who’ll use participatory research and design to sow and scatter the seeds of innovative, equity-focused solutions to real-world challenges.

What’s Next

Sign up to receive the latest updates from In/Tend. Each year, there will be opportunities to apply for our Design Challenge and the next Innovation Development Team (IDT) cohort.