We believe middle schoolers matter.

At TomTod Ideas, we imagine a future where middle schoolers are valued as community members who can make meaningful change.

Read three stories of middle schoolers who are creating real change today:

Empowering middle schoolers to explore and launch ideas that put empathy and imagination into action.

At TomTod, we think middle schoolers are pretty amazing. And not just because they exist in this awesome space where they still possess childlike imagination while discovering their place in the world.

We think middle schoolers are incredible humans because science says they are!

But most people don’t exactly feel fuzzy feelings when they think of middle school.

And because of that, middle schoolers are forgotten about—told they have the potential to do something “someday” instead of being valued for their perspective now.

So we decided to do something about that.

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WHAT WE OFFER

We are firm believers that students learn through doing.

We create curriculum and curate experiences that incorporate real community partners with real problems, giving students real goals to work toward.

We go beyond defining skills like project management, empathy, and responsibility. We create meaningful opportunities for students to practice them in real time.

CLASSES

Students use Liberatory Design Thinking to make real-world impact through experiential and problem-based learning. Aligning with Ohio Department of Education’s Social Emotional Learning, our classes can be incorporated one day a week in an existing classroom.

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CLUBS

We connect middle schoolers’ imaginations with real opportunities to contribute to local organizations during after-school or out-of-school time programs.

We also offer project-based mentoring to middle schoolers who have gone through our programs.

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CAMPS

With two-week day camps and partial-day mini camps, there are options for everyone. We bring community exploration, Liberatory Design Thinking, and a whole lot of fun to Stark and Summit County middle schoolers every summer.

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COLLABS

We facilitate inquiry-focused projects customized for your community and your middle school students.

Teachers receive training and ongoing support in implementing a fun, flexible, and fully designed curriculum.

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We’re Hiring Summer Staff!

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WHAT SETS US APART

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS MATTER

Middle schoolers don’t just listen—they have a voice. Using Design Thinking skills, they’ll research their community, brainstorm hundreds of ideas, develop one with a team, and present it to an audience of invested community members. They not only have a voice, but a real opportunity to put their ideas into action.

HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMMING and curriculum

Our programs are often compared to many community leadership programs offered to adults. Because we’re a direct service organization, we’re committed to building a team of early adolescent experts who develop and implement curriculum specifically for middle schoolers.

cOMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

We think middle schoolers’ perspectives are important for our communities. Our programming allows students to not only explore different parts of their community, but also empowers them to see themselves as community leaders by engaging in community development.