When it came time to name our youth drop-in centers, we didn’t make that decision for our young people. We made it with them. The name “EPIC Zone” was a youth-driven process from the very beginning, chosen by the same teens who walk through our doors in Geneva and Bloomfield every day. In that same spirit of ownership and empowerment, our youth helped design the new EPIC Zone logo, which was officially revealed this past week.

Starting in December, a survey was sent to our youth members requesting their insights and ideas on what would make a logo both appealing and meaningful to them. Members also had the opportunity to submit and sketch their own logo concepts. “The results were fairly split, with about a 50/50 response on keeping the original logo versus creating something new,” said Allauna Overstreet-Gibson, EPIC Zone Geneva youth program coordinator.

From there, the team designed a variety of concepts that incorporated member ideas and suggestions. “We wanted the new design to truly reflect the voices and personalities of the youth involved in our programs,” she said.

“Members were extremely vocal and engaged throughout this process, regularly giving feedback on what should be added, removed, or adjusted. My feelings were hurt with every draft,” Overstreet-Gibson joked. “Since we serve roughly 40 members (in Geneva) each day, gathering input and making revisions took about a month to get the design just right.”

In the final stage, youth members from both our Bloomfield and Geneva locations participated in a private vote between the original logo and the proposed new design. In addition to tracking the total number of votes, the team also tracked grade levels to better understand the perspectives of newer members compared to long-time “OG” members.

While the vote was close, nine votes ultimately separated the new logo from the old one. “Members were very pleased with the outcome and proud to have played such an active role in the process,” Overstreet-Gibson said. “It was important to us that the logo wasn’t simply created for the youth, but instead created with them, every step of the way.”