High-quality, youth-designed extracurricular opportunities that boost confidence, sharpen foundational skills, and drive human connection.

For middle & high school students in Wheaton and Silver Spring who want spaces to grow, belong, and lead.

What Makes Us Different

Many extracurricular opportunities focus on a singular skill or topic. At Feenix Collaborative, we take a different approach and aim to prove that when young people design their own opportunities, the results are not only powerful but sustainable. 

Youth-Designed

Young people help shape the opportunities themselves — so offerings are relevant, engaging, and grounded in what youth actually need today.

Community-Centered

Everything we offer is curated by local families, schools, and reflects youth voices and leadership.

High-Quality

Programs are facilitated by adults experienced in positive youth development, with intentional structure, care, and clear expectations.

Holistic

We support the whole young person: confidence, communication, leadership, creativity, and social connection.

How We Work

At Feenix Collaborative, nothing is created for youth. We build extracurricular opportunities and experiences with them. Every program starts with a collaborative design process that puts youth at the center of innovation.

Analyze

We uncover opportunities by listening to young people and researching real community challenges.

Co-Design

Youth themselves lead workshops where ideas spark, perspectives collide, and bold solutions emerge.

Distill Insights

We translate ideas into clear, actionable strategies that reflect youth priorities.

Prototype & Test

Before scaling, we build, experiment, and refine—because innovation is all about learning forward.

What We’re Hearing

  • “The ideal program? A place where I can just feel like a kid again. Everyone’s socializing, no judgment, and we're free to pitch ideas. Everyone’s open to talking about anything and everything.”

    — 11th Grader, Wheaton


  • “A lot of clubs don’t work because they’re disorganized and no one really listens. I want to have a say in how things are run.”

    — 12th Grader, Silver Spring  

      

  • “Kids just aren’t prepared enough. They’re not learning social skills or self-advocacy, and when they get to high school, they’re not ready to navigate things independently.”

    — Parent, Silver Spring

  • “I wish there were more programs that didn’t just focus on skills, but also on connection and belonging. Ones that see young people as whole people, and make space for their authentic selves.”

    — Parent, Forest Glen

Interested in Learning More?

Help shape something meaningful for our community’s youth. Whether you're a young person with ideas, a parent, community member, or funder, there's a place for you at Feenix Collaborative.

Contact us to join our interest list and receive updates on pilot programs and opportunities to get involved.

Contact Us