Good Trouble
Youth Saving Learning TM

Good Trouble is a youth-led movement with the mission to make schools outcompete streets and screens by pushing educators and policymakers to practice three core beliefs: 1) Youth are not the problem, they are key to the solution, 2) Everyone has a unique gift to give and we, the public, are in desperate need of receiving those gifts, and 3) We must put aces in places where gifts are honored and positioned for full potential.

"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble."

REP. JOHN LEWIS | 1940-2020
Civil Rights Leader and Congressman

Continuing the Legacy ››

OUR APPROACH
Good Trouble’s unique gift is to transform high schools through student feedback. Youth guide adults through the 3-step process below we call Youth Saving Learning. Good Trouble also supports a growing network of "Troublemakers" to help advance solutions generated by the process.

STUDENT-LED LISTENING

Peer-to-peer focus groups for authentic feedback

COLLECTIVE SENSEMAKING

Students, staff, parents, and community members review focus group data to surface findings and solutions

MAKING GOOD TROUBLE

Turn shared mindsets & insights into action by shifting policies, practices, systems

OUR WORK

State of the Youth
On March 27, 2025, Good Trouble hosted the first State of the Youth event in Minnesota that brought together 200 participants composed of students, young adults, school, district and nonprofit leaders, elected officials and policymakers to hear from youth leaders about the state of the youth and their vision for the future. The time to listen and trust youth is now!

Listen to Chief Troublemaker on Minnesota Public Radio

Previous Work

Hosted Youth Justice Community Forum in partnership with Hennepin County Attorney's Office and Legal Rights Center. Panelists included Hennepin County Attorney and Head of DOJ's youth justice office
Co-led November 2023 Youth Policy Forum at MN Capitol engaging 70 youth leaders in policy development
Testified on teacher licensure policy at February 2023 MN Legislature

Selected by Center for Policy Design to develop strategy to educate and engage MN student leaders about the New Technology of Learning including mentorship from school and district leaders.
Co-published recommendations report, Transform Schools to Transform Lives: Why Justice-Involved Youth are Reimagining School, including evaluation write-up by Wilder Research and EQ Learning.

Ramsey & Hennepin counties selected Good Troublemakers to serve on youth advisory councils including the Hennepin chair
Co-designed a middle school with the High School of Recording Arts in St. Paul

OUR IMPACT

Since 2022, over 1.1.0.0 young people and community members have joined the Good Trouble network.

Together, we have:

Shaped legislation expanding teacher and student learning pathways at the MN Legislature via public testimony and legislator meetings,
Convened three community forums engaging 400 participants, and
Designed and tested a breakthrough youth-facilitated qualitative student feedback process to be scaled statewide.

Through community forums and hands-on advocacy, we are transforming what school means and who it serves. We aim to reach over 300,000 high school students between now and 2030—ensuring that high school is a place where students belong, discover their purpose, and prepare for the real world.

Get Involved ››