Learning from Young Adults to Inform Mind and Life Institute’s Programmatic Strategy

Impact-Driven Strategy
Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: Mind & Life Institute | Location: Charlottesville, VA | Funding: The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global

 
 

We helped Mind & Life Institute, an organization working at the intersection of science and contemplative wisdom, better understand their potential young adult audience and strategize ways to support them.

OVERVIEW

In 2022, Mind & Life Institute contracted Kera Collective to conduct two phases of research: first, an audience research study of their young adult audience (ages 18-30), and a second phase designed to build from those findings to inform the development of an organization-wide strategy for engaging this audience more actively in its work.

APPROACH

For the audience research component, we designed a rich, detailed qualitative study to address our research objectives and ascertain any differences between adults ages 18-24 and 25-30. Methods included:

  • Remote one-on-one interviews with current and potential members of the target audience

  • Two remote focus groups; one each with adults aged 18-24 and 25-30

For the second phase, we facilitated a series of five Visioning Sessions to support Mind & Life in defining components of a Logic Model that would serve their strategic goals for young adults. These sessions resulted in a series of deliverables, including the Logic Model itself, three Audience Personas, and an expanded set of Outputs to guide their immediate next steps.

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

The audience research both provided new information for the client and confirmed many of their preexisting ideas. We learned their 18-30 audience is global and far-reaching, and are often in states of transition. Young adults appreciate the resources provided by Mind & Life, but feel there can be a greater focus on advocacy, action, and ideas related to decolonization and materialism. 

Our findings confirmed for Mind & Life that this audience is eager to connect with each other as well as with the larger Mind & Life community. They are hungry for mentorship and guidance around pursuing their activism and connecting their contemplative practice to their changemaking activities. Mental health, climate change, and equity for marginalized communities are top-of-mind issues for this group.

The client is receptive and eager to make required shifts in order to better address this audience, which was evidenced in our work together for Phase 2. They intentionally brought in young adult advisors to inform their process, and developed several strategic Outputs to address young adults’ desires for connection, involvement in the organization, and content that addresses their concerns.

Cathy Sigmond

Cathy brings many years of experience in education and experience design to her role as Head of Strategy at Kera Collective. 

Having previously worked in a variety of educational settings, Cathy is driven by her constant fascination and delight at how people make discoveries about the familiar and the unfamiliar. 

Cathy loves helping to shape experiences that spark curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives. She particularly enjoys the rapid, iterative nature of design-based research and the deep insights that come from qualitative research, especially on projects exploring interactions with the digital and built environments. 

Cathy shares her passion for experience design research widely and regularly guest lectures for graduate programs, including the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Exhibition and Experience Design Program and the Pratt Institute’s School of Information. Cathy served as the co-chair of the Museum Computer Network’s Human-Centered Design special interest group from 2018-2021.

Outside of work, you can usually find Cathy playing soccer, thrifting, or making her way through her large cookbook collection. 

Cathy’s favorite museum experiences are immersive; she will always vividly remember walking through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, being surrounded by birds at the Peabody Essex Museum, and hearing centuries-old instruments come to life at the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

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