Future Leaders of America (published October 2025)

Visual Elements

Youth Engagement The Carpinteria FLAMA Youth Council played a fundamental role in the educational brochure’s development, leading the ideation around replacing the visual elements, adding the survey data, and reformatting the written content. FLA staff noted that when working with youth: + Their expertise can help ensure that the resulting material will connect with local residents and generate a sense of empathy among readers. + It is important to provide them with mutually beneficial opportunities that serve their community and expand their skillset, knowledge, and/or experience. Doing so empowers and mobilizes youth to advocate for themselves and their community. + Collaboration doesn’t have to end when they complete the program. FLA staff recruited a program alum and former FLAMA Youth Council leader studying graphic design at a state university to design the brochure’s layout and illustrations. As a result, she was able to contribute her talents to her community while simultaneously developing her professional capabilities.

Case study participants explained that:

+ Incorporating local, recognizable places and faces in the brochure’s imagery, including FLAMA Youth Council members, helps emphasize that the educational material was made specifically for the community and encourages connection. + Including the community survey data that was collected by the FLAMA Youth Council and youth-led coalition members helped further tailor the brochure to Carpinteria and demonstrate community sentiments, allowing readers to see themselves in the data. It is also important to note that including data visualizations, like the pie chart and bar graphs, made the data easier to understand and more eye catching. + Descriptive imagery that complements and supports messaging increases the accessibility and understandability of educational materials. In this case, the original fact card’s housing images were replaced with an illustration of MUH that includes a diverse array of residents.

“[The community survey data] represent their friends and neighbors. ‘Oh, my neighbors feel this way too? I thought I was the only one.’”

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1-E-3 Material Development Process Case Study Summary | Future Leaders of America, 2025