Pathways Into Tech for Creative Young People

How Community Incubator Turns Talent Into Trackable Skills

If you’re creative, curious, and care about stories, visuals, or how people experience the world, there is a place for you in tech.

The problem? Most young people only see one narrow version of “tech” – hardcore coding, Silicon Valley clichés, and jobs that feel far away from their real lives.

At Community Incubator, we’ve built a different set of on-ramps. Our programs are designed for youth and young adults (roughly 14–24) who might not call themselves “tech people” yet, but already:

• Design flyers or slides for school
• Edit videos on their phone
• Run a small resale hustle or brand on social
• Love storytelling, fashion, music, or visual art

We organize those strengths into three clear pathways:

1. Product & UX (Phazur Labs)
2. Digital Marketing (Temerarii Academy)
3. Media & Storytelling (Down x Design)

Each track teaches modern, in-demand skills that connect directly to real roles, freelance work, or the next step in education.

Product & UX – Turning Ideas Into Real Experiences

Powered by: Phazur Labs – UX/UI & Product Innovation Accelerator

If you’ve ever thought, “This app could be better,” or “Why is this website so confusing?” you’re already thinking like a product and UX person.

The Product & UX pathway is about designing how things work, not just how they look. In this track, learners:

• Learn the basics of user research: talking to real people and understanding their needs
• Sketch and wireframe app screens and web layouts
• Map user journeys (What should happen first? What should happen next?)
• Build clickable prototypes using modern tools
• Present their ideas to peers, mentors, and sometimes real stakeholders

A typical project might look like:

• Redesigning a community center’s sign-up flow so more people actually complete it
• Prototyping an app that helps students track assignments and mental health check-ins
• Mapping out a better onboarding experience for a local small business’s customers

By the end of the accelerator, participants walk away with:

• A portfolio-ready case study (problem → research → solution → prototype)
• Language to talk about their process like a junior UX or product designer
• More confidence presenting ideas in front of others

Starter roles this pathway points toward:

• UX/UI intern or junior designer
• Product design or product management apprentice
• CX (customer experience) or service design roles
• Design support roles at agencies, startups, or nonprofits

For creative youth who are always tinkering with ideas or fixing broken systems in their heads, this pathway turns that instinct into a concrete skill set that employers recognize.

Digital Marketing – Telling Stories That Move People to Act

Powered by: Temerarii Academy – Getting Started with Digital Marketing + AI & Automations Bootcamp

Digital marketing is where creativity meets strategy. It’s not just posting content; it’s understanding who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how to reach them in a smart, measurable way.

In our Digital Marketing pathway, learners:

• Explore the basics of how websites, search, and social media work together
• Learn how brands attract new people and keep them coming back
• Draft simple campaigns for events, small businesses, or causes they care about
• Use analytics to see what’s working and what isn’t
• Start using AI tools to speed up research, brainstorming, and content drafting

A cohort might work on:

• A social media campaign for a local youth event
• Email and text concepts for a nonprofit program
• A basic “funnel” for a small business or student-led project

During the AI & Automations Bootcamp, participants take it further by:

• Designing small, real automations (for example, turning form submissions into email sequences or task lists)
• Learning how to prompt AI tools for better ideas, copy, and outlines
• Understanding the ethics and limitations of AI, not just the hype

By the end, learners can:

• Explain what a campaign is and how it’s structured
• Read simple performance dashboards and make decisions from the data
• Show examples of campaigns, posts, or flows they helped build

Starter roles this pathway points toward:

• Marketing assistant or digital marketing intern
• Social media coordinator
• Email or content assistant
• Community or brand ambassador roles

For youth who already like making content, running pages, or hyping up what they care about, this track channels that energy into skills that businesses are actively hiring for.

Media & Storytelling – Creating the Content the World Actually Watches

Powered by: Down x Design – Getting Started with Media + Creative Prompting Bootcamp

Media is how stories travel. Whether it’s a short video, a podcast clip, or a powerful graphic, media and storytelling shape how we see brands, communities, and ourselves.

In the Media & Storytelling pathway, learners:

• Learn the basics of visual framing, sound, and simple editing
• Plan short-form content that actually has a point, not just noise
• Practice both on-camera and behind-the-camera skills
• Work with simple tools they already have (often a phone) plus pro tools when available

Projects might include:

• A mini-doc about a community leader
• Clips promoting a youth event or fundraiser
• A content series explaining a complex topic in simple, visual form

The Creative Prompting Bootcamp then layers AI on top of those skills:

• How to write prompts for images, video concepts, and copy that reflect a clear idea
• How to use AI as a collaborator (to brainstorm, rough draft, or test directions)
• How to refine outputs so they feel like a consistent style or brand, not random posts

By the end, learners can:

• Show a small library of videos, graphics, or audio content they’ve produced
• Walk through their creative process from concept → script → shoot → edit → publish
• Talk about how media can support causes, businesses, and personal brands

Starter roles this pathway points toward:

• Content creator or media assistant
• Social/video editor
• Podcast production support
• In-house “creative” at a small business or nonprofit

For creative youth who already think in scenes, sounds, or visuals, this track brings structure, language, and professional polish to what they’re already doing informally.

“I Didn’t Think Tech Was for Me”

We hear some version of this all the time:

• “I’m not a coder.”
• “I’m more of an arts person.”
• “I like making stuff, but I don’t know where that fits in tech.”

That’s exactly who Community Incubator is for.

A composite learner story might look like this.

• A 17-year-old who edits TikToks for friends but never thought of it as “real work” joins the Media pathway.
• During the program, they create social content for a real community event and see it drive actual attendance.
• They add those pieces to a portfolio, learn how to talk about engagement and audience, and suddenly “just posting” turns into “content strategy.”

Or:

• A 20-year-old working part-time retail feels stuck and overwhelmed by “AI talk.”
• They join the Digital Marketing + AI Bootcamp, build a small automation that saves hours of manual work, and include that in a resume and interview story.
• That project becomes the bridge to an entry-level marketing or operations role.

Or:

• A college student unsure of their major joins the Product & UX track.
• They fall in love with mapping out how people use apps and services, build a case study, and decide to pursue UX internships or further study.

These are real shifts: from “tech isn’t for me” to “I have a lane and I can show my work.”

How the Three Pathways Work Together

We separate the pathways so learners can find a starting point—but in practice, the lines blur:

• A product concept needs storytelling and visuals.
• A marketing campaign needs landing pages and user flows that make sense.
• Media content needs strategy behind it so the right people see it.

Because all three tracks live under Community Incubator, learners are exposed to the full picture:

• How a product is designed
• How it’s brought to market
• How it’s communicated through media

That means a learner might start in one track and later:

• Add a second pathway to deepen their skills
• Join a cross-functional project team mixing UX, marketing, and media
• Discover a new interest they wouldn’t have found otherwise

From Learning to Membership to Opportunity

We don’t want learners to just “take a class” and disappear. Our goal is to create a long-term community and opportunity network.

That’s why we wrap all three pathways inside:

• Membership for learners – access to updates about new cohorts, workshops, and opportunities
• Connection to community partners – schools, nonprofits, and community spaces that host sessions where youth already are
• Employer engagement – companies that offer guest talks, real briefs, mentorship, and eventually internships or entry-level roles

You might:

• Join a track while in high school
• Return later for a bootcamp or advanced workshop
• Plug into an employer project or internship as your skills grow

Each step builds on the last.

For Creative Young People: Your Lane Exists

If you are:

• Sketching app ideas in your notes app
• Running a small page or project online
• Filming or editing content for fun
• Curious about AI but unsure where to start

There is a pathway here with your name on it.

You do not need to be “good at math” or “already in tech.” You need curiosity, a bit of discipline, and the willingness to build something real.

Take Your Next Step

If you’re a youth or young adult who wants in:

• Watch for upcoming cohorts of Temerarii Academy, Phazur Labs, and Down x Design on our Programs section.
• Complete the universal registration form to be considered for upcoming tracks and membership.

If you’re a parent, educator, or community leader:

• Explore how to bring one of these pathways to your school, program, or organization through our Partners page.

At Community Incubator, “tech” isn’t a distant industry. It’s a set of tools and mindsets that you can use to tell stories, solve problems, and build a life you’re proud of.



And if you’re creative, there’s more than enough room for you.