We believe middle schoolers matter.

Our Mission

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

TomTod is a youth development nonprofit based in Canton, Ohio that listens to, honors, and advocates for middle schoolers.

Yep. You read that right.

Middle schoolers, and only middle schoolers.

We create programming specifically for 10-14 year olds because we think their perspective is valuable and necessary for the community.

Since 2012, we’ve helped thousands of middle schoolers discover and love their community while finding ways to help it thrive. Using the latest research about early adolescent development, our programming allows students to explore idea creation through a community-focused, developmentally appropriate lens.

Our Compass

Everything we do is rooted in community. Early Adolescents are naturally curious about their place in the world – we channel that curiosity into empathy and engagement.

We also prioritize student voice and choice, fostering healthy autonomy as they explore, research, and collaborate on ideas that matter to them.

Our Pathways

Human-Centered Design Thinking is prolific in a wide variety of fields to solve problems, make discoveries, and innovate processes.

We take Liberatory Design Thinking models and refine them to be developmentally appropriate for early adolescents. Translating these best practices allows students to develop creative problem solving skills they can use for the rest of their lives.

Our Approach

We are firm believers that students learn through doing. We build 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.

Our 10 C’s

Our 10 Cs tap into decades of research around Positive Youth Development and 21st Century Skills to create the outcomes we aim to develop in students.

Our 10 Cs are Caring, Character, Collaboration, Communication, Confidence, Connection, Contribution, Competence, Creative Innovation, and Critical Thinking.