Flourishing Futures Fellowship (F3)

F3 — Flourishing Futures Fellowship 2026–2027

2026 – 2027 Cohort · Washington, DC Region

Flourishing
Futures
Fellowship

The F3 Program

Applications Are Now Open

A year-round experiential program for middle school students who are ready to discover their strengths, design bold ideas, and launch a real venture that changes their world.

Apply for F3 → Learn More

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What is F3

An experiential, year-round learning journey

The F3 Fellowship is structured around four design phases — one per season. Fellows don't just learn concepts — they apply them by designing and launching a real venture while building confidence, creativity, and self-awareness.

This Year's Focus

F3 combines the science of human flourishing with human-centered design and entrepreneurship — with a focus on youth tourism in the Washington, DC region.

This Year's Design Challenge

"How might we use our individual and collective strengths to develop a youth-run tourism business in the Washington, DC region?"

Ages 11–14 Middle School Year-Round DC Metro Area

4

Design Seasons

The F3 Experience

Who it's for, what they do, what they receive

🌱

Ideal Candidates

Middle school students (ages 11–14)
Global citizen and explorers mindset
Curious about creativity, innovation & well-being
Possess kindness, empathy & a spirit of collaboration
Open-minded with a love of learning
Creative, out-of-box thinkers
Interested in helping others and the planet
Able to commit to full participation

🚀

What Fellows Do

Launch start-up ventures that solve real-world challenges
Strengthen their creativity muscles
Reframe today's social and environmental challenges
Identify opportunities hidden inside problems
Brainstorm and test innovative business ideas
Learn from global changemakers who turned ideas into reality

🏆

Fellow Benefits

The official title of Flourishing Futures Fellow
Certificate & digital badge in flourishing-centered design
Personalized strengths assessment & mentoring sessions
Life design & travel coaching throughout the program
Inclusion in the Flourishing Futures Fellows Alumni Network

The Learning Journey

Four seasons, one transformation

Spring

Illuminate

Fellows discover themselves and the opportunity space. Through character strengths assessments, DC tourism industry research, and foundational human-centered design workshops, they build self-knowledge and market insight needed to begin creating.

Summer

Ideate

Fellows travel to Spain — one of the world's most creative countries — to immerse themselves in a thriving tourism culture, gathering bold ideas and fresh perspectives to fuel their designs.

Fall

Innovate

Fellows select their strongest concept, develop a prototype business, and present to local community stakeholders for real-world input and feedback.

Winter

Integrate

Fellows build and beta test a low-fidelity prototype, refining their business model based on what they learn — and preparing for launch.

What Sets F3 Apart

More than a program

F3 integrates the science of human flourishing into every design challenge. Fellows don't just study entrepreneurship — they live it.

1

Strengths-First Approach

Every fellow receives a personalized strengths assessment and learns to lead from what's already great about them.

2

Real-World Ventures

Fellows don't simulate business — they prototype, pitch, and prepare real ventures for the DC tourism market.

3

Global Travel Immersion

A summer trip to Spain places fellows inside one of the world's great creative and tourism cultures.

4

Expert Mentorship

Led by Flourish51 founder Sharyn Tenn, with coaches, project managers, and local partners throughout.

"F3 combines the science of human flourishing with human-centered design and entrepreneurship. Fellows don't just learn concepts — they apply them by designing and launching a real venture while building confidence, creativity, and self-awareness."

Sharyn Tenn · Founder & Design Lead, Flourish51

Upon Completion, Fellows Earn

Flourishing Futures Fellow

A distinction reserved for emerging changemakers who embody creativity, cooperation, and care.

Questions

Your Questions,
Answered

Everything families need to know before applying to the 2026–27 cohort.

The F3 Fellowship is designed for middle school students (ages 11–14) who are curious, creative, and interested in learning how to design meaningful work in the real world. No prior business or design experience is required. The 2026–27 cohort is open to middle school students only.

F3 combines the science of human flourishing with human-centered design and entrepreneurship. Fellows don't just learn concepts — they apply them by designing and launching a real venture while building confidence, creativity, and self-awareness. No other program integrates all four of these elements for middle schoolers.

Fellows meet twice weekly:

Monday evenings (2 hours): virtual sessions via Zoom
Saturday mornings (3 hours): in-person sessions

Note: This schedule is flexible and will be finalized once the cohort is selected to ensure maximum participation. Additional time may be spent on team projects during key design phases. In-person session locations are shared with accepted families prior to program start.

The summer Ideate phase includes an international travel experience to Spain — one of the world's most creative countries — to immerse fellows in a thriving tourism culture. Detailed travel logistics, costs, and requirements are shared with accepted families. Travel support options may be available.

The program is led by Flourish51's founder and Design Lead, Sharyn Tenn — a certified educator and designer with expertise in international affairs, human-centered design, well-being science, and youth development. She is supported by a team of project managers, coaches/mentors, and local partners. Fellows receive group mentorship, guided coaching, and structured feedback throughout the year. The environment emphasizes encouragement, collaboration, and growth.

No prior business or design experience is required. F3 is designed to meet students where they are. The most important qualities are curiosity, a willingness to collaborate, and a genuine desire to help others and make an impact. If your student has those, they're ready.

Ready to Join

Apply to become a
Flourishing Futures Fellow

Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are open now. Space is limited and selected on a rolling basis — don't wait.

Start Your Application →

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis · 2026–2027 Cohort

the 2026-2027 Flourishing Futures Fellowship (F3) Program

aPPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Ideal Candidates

Middle school studients (ages 11-14)
Global citizen and explorers mindset
Genuinely curious about creativity, innovation, well-being
Possess kindness, empathy and a spirit of collaboration
Open-minded and have a love of learning
Creative, out-of-box thinkers
Interested in helping others and the planet
Able to commit to full participation in the program
What Fellows Do

Launch start-up ventures that solve real-world challenges
Strengthen their creativity muscles
Reframe today’s social and environmental challenges
Identify opportunities hidden inside the “problems”
Brainstorm and test innovative business ideas
Learn from real global changemakers who turned their ideas into reality
Benefits

F3 Fellows receive:
The official title of Flourishing Futures Fellow. A distinction reserved for emerging changemakers who embody creativity, cooperation, and care.
A certificate and digital badge recognizing competency in flourishing-centered design
A personalized strengths assessment, mentoring, life design & travel coaching sessions throughout the program
Inclusion in the Flourishing Futures Fellows Alumni Network

Apply Today

the 2026-2027 f3 fellow program learning experience

What Fellows Learn

F3 Fellowship Program
The F3 Fellowship is an experiential, year-round learning journey structured around four design phases — one per season.
This year's challenge: How might we use our individual and collective strengths to develop a youth-run tourism business in the Washington, DC region?
Spring — Illuminate

Fellows discover themselves and the opportunity space. Through character strengths assessments, DC tourism industry research, and foundational human-centered design workshops, they build the self-knowledge and market insight needed to begin creating.
Summer — Ideate

Fellows travel to Spain, one of the world's most creative countries to immerse themselves in a thriving tourism culture — gathering bold ideas and fresh perspectives to fuel their designs.
Fall — Innovate

Fellows select their strongest concept, develop a prototype business, and present to local community stakeholders for real-world input and feedback.
Winter — Integrate

Fellows build and beta test a low-fidelity prototype, refining their business model based on what they learn — and preparing for launch.
Spring — Launch

Fellows finalize and launch their youth-run tourism venture into the world: a real business, built by them, designed to endure.

Join the FYA’s Inaugural cohort of F3 Fellows on a transformative, year-long journey

9 Feb 2026

Applications open
9 March 2026

Application deadline
16 March 2026

Fellows selected and informed
23 March 2026

Inaugural Flourishing Futures Fellowship Launch!
27 June-6 July 2026

Travel to Barcelona to experience creativity in real-life in one of the world’s most innovative citiies
5 Dec 2026

End-of-Year Celebration where F3 Fellows showcase of their early business prototype for feedback
6 March 2027

End-of-Fellowship Celebration where F3 Fellows present their final business.

f3 fellows build Essential Skills for the 21st Century

Character Strengths & Well-Being Science

Understanding what helps people thrive—and how to design lives, teams, and ventures around strengths.
Human-Centered & Flourishing-Centered Design

Applying design thinking to create solutions that support vitality, creativity, and real human needs.
Social Entrepreneurship

Designing ventures that generate value for both people and communities.
Prototyping & Testing

Turning ideas into tangible experiments and learning from real-world feedback.
Pitching & Storytelling

Communicating ideas with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Cultural Intelligence

Learning to design with awareness, humility, and a global perspective.
Creative Confidence

Building trust in one’s ability to imagine, create, and adapt.

Apply Now

Your Questions, Answered

The F3 Fellowship is designed for middle and high school students who are curious, creative, and interested in learning how to design meaningful work in the real world. No prior business or design experience is required. The 2026-27 cohort is open to middle school students only.
F3 combines the science of human flourishing with human-centered design and entrepreneurship. Fellows don’t just learn concepts—they apply them by designing and launching a real venture while building confidence, creativity, and self-awareness.
Fellows meet twice weekly:
- Monday evenings (2 hours): virtual sessions (Zoom)
- Saturday mornings (3 hours): in-person sessions
- Note: This schedule is flexible & will be finalized once the cohort of fellows is selected to ensure maximum participation.
- Additional time may be spent on team projects, especially during key design phases.
- In-person sessions are held locally. Exact locations are shared with accepted families prior to the program start.
Travel is an integral part of the learning experience and focuses on creativity, culture, and innovation.
Each year the annual cohort of F3 Fellows includes a global creativity immersion journey to one of the world’s most creative locations.
2026 Destination: Spain
The design team and chaperones will stay together in a group lodging that will be organized by the FYA and a F3 Fellows Immersion Journey Guide with detailed information will be provided
The program is led by Flourish51’s founder and Design Lead, Sharyn Tenn, a certified educator and designer with expertise in international affairs, human-centered design, well-being science, and youth development She is supported by a team of project managers, coaches/mentors, and local partners.
Fellows receive group mentorship, guided coaching, and structured feedback throughout the year. The environment emphasizes encouragement, collaboration, and growth.
Students can apply through the online application here
Cohorts are intentionally small (no more than 12 fellows) to operate like a cohesive design team and to ensure meaningful relationships, personalized support, and high-quality learning experiences.
The total cost of the F3 Fellowship reflects a full year of instruction, mentoring, project-based learning, and a global creativity immersion journey.
Program Tuition Covers:
The year-long Fellowship experience, including weekly sessions (virtual and in-person), curriculum, mentorship, coaching, and project support.
Global Creativity Immersion (Barcelona, Spain):
Travel costs included are: lodging, local transportation, programming, and cultural experiences.
Not Included:
- Airfare & airport transfers to/from Barcelona