AI for Youth Programs: Whitney Ramirez Brings a Working Session to The Gathering 2026
Most small nonprofits run two jobs with one team. Somebody delivers the program, and the same somebody writes the report that keeps the program funded.
On November 12, 2026, Diapers 2 Deposits founder Whitney Ramirez, AFC, will lead a hands-on working session at The Gathering 2026 in Baltimore on AI for youth programs. The focus is narrow and practical: build program tools with AI that serve young people, and design the workflow so those same tools produce the documentation funders ask for.
Key Takeaways
Whitney Ramirez's session at The Gathering 2026 shows youth-serving nonprofits how one AI workflow can deliver programming and generate grant reporting documentation at the same time.
At Diapers 2 Deposits, middle school students in the Millionaire's Club Ambassadors Program use Gemini, Canva, Interacty, and GameClass to build financial literacy tools, then teach them as live workshops to elementary students.
Every tool a D2D ambassador builds leaves a work sample, a session record, and a program output behind, which is the raw material of a funder report.
The Gathering 2026 runs Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, and it is free to attend.
AI speeds up drafting and organizing, but staff still verify every number, and student names and personal data stay out of AI tools.
What Whitney Ramirez's session at The Gathering 2026 covers
Whitney Ramirez's session covers two linked problems for youth-serving nonprofits: how to use AI to build age-appropriate learning tools, and how to capture what those tools produce so it can go straight into a grant report. Participants work through both halves in the room and leave with a workflow they can copy, not a slide deck of possibilities.
The session runs in two parts.
Part one: program delivery. Participants look at how AI platforms help staff and youth create:
Age-appropriate educational tools and handouts
Interactive activities, quizzes, and games
Instructional resources that a teen can teach from
Part two: reporting and funding. The session then turns to the paperwork side. It covers how those same tools create a documentation trail, how AI can cut the administrative load on a two- or three-person team, and how an organization can build grant reporting capacity without hiring a dedicated grants manager.
The format is a working session. Attendees are expected to build, not just listen.
How D2D students build financial literacy tools with AI
At Diapers 2 Deposits, the Millionaire's Club Ambassadors Program puts middle school students in the builder's seat. Ambassadors use Gemini for research and drafting, Canva for design, Interacty for interactive activities, and GameClass for game-based lessons. They then deliver the finished financial literacy tools as live workshops to elementary-age youth.
This model is the implementation experience behind the session. It runs through D2D's Millionaire's Club at Forest Oak and Neelsville middle schools, where students also earn Student Service Learning hours.
A typical build cycle for a D2D ambassador looks like this:
Pick a money concept. Needs versus wants, saving for a goal, or what a paycheck actually covers.
Research and draft with Gemini. The ambassador turns the concept into plain language an eight-year-old can follow.
Design it in Canva. Slides, handouts, or a poster the younger students can hold.
Make it interactive. A matching game or quiz in Interacty, or a game-based lesson in GameClass.
Teach it live. The ambassador runs the workshop for elementary students and collects their responses.
The teaching step is the point. A middle schooler who has to explain compound interest to a third grader learns it more deeply than one who only reads about it. D2D has written before about why financial literacy doesn't stick without experience, and the ambassador model is that idea put to work.
How the same workflow produces grant reporting documentation
The same D2D workflow that teaches students also documents the program. Each step leaves an artifact behind: a draft, a finished tool, a workshop roster, and the younger students' quiz results. When a funder asks what happened and who it reached, the evidence already exists because the program created it as a byproduct.
Here is how each program activity maps to what a funder typically wants to see:
Program activity | Artifact it leaves behind | What it supports in a grant report |
Ambassador drafts a lesson with AI | Dated draft and final version | Evidence of youth skill-building and program quality |
Ambassador designs the tool in Canva | Finished handout or slide set | Work samples and curriculum outputs |
Game or quiz built in Interacty or GameClass | Live activity with response data | Learning outcomes and engagement |
Live workshop for elementary students | Sign-in sheet and session notes | Attendance and reach |
Post-workshop reflection | Written or recorded reflection | Youth voice and qualitative outcomes |
The shift is small but it matters. Instead of reconstructing a quarter's activity the week a report is due, staff collect artifacts as they happen and use AI to organize them into the funder's format.
D2D saw the same principle in its Baltimore YouthWorks financial simulation, where the results of 166 participants became the program's public record, and in its youth financial literacy internship, which documents what students actually built.
Why lean youth nonprofits in Baltimore need this now
Baltimore's youth-serving nonprofits face growing reporting demands with very small teams. Funders at the city, state, and philanthropic level ask for attendance, learning outcomes, participant demographics, and evidence of program quality. An organization that cannot produce that documentation on time puts its next grant at risk, however strong the program is.
The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund sits at the center of that ecosystem. The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund has invested approximately $52 million in community-led youth programs since 2020, according to its 2026 grantees page, and it reports supporting more than 17,000 opportunities for young people each year.
BCYF's grantee list shows how varied the field is:
Mentorship and rites-of-passage programs
STEM, drone, and algebra programs
Arts, dance, and writing programs
Youth athletics through Charm City Youth Athletics
Workforce and leadership development
Many of these organizations run with lean teams where program staff and administrative staff are the same people. That is exactly the gap an AI-assisted documentation workflow closes. It does not add a job. It lets the existing job produce the paperwork as it goes.
Where AI helps, and where it doesn't
AI helps youth-serving nonprofits with drafting, formatting, summarizing, and turning scattered notes into a structured report. It does not replace judgment. Staff still check every figure, confirm every outcome claim, and decide what goes to a funder. AI can organize your evidence, but it cannot verify it.
A few ground rules hold for any program working with young people:
Keep student data out of AI tools. Strip names, birthdates, school IDs, and photos before pasting anything into Gemini or any other model.
Follow consent rules for work samples. District, parent, and funder policies decide what student work you can share, not the AI tool.
Verify every number. An AI summary of attendance is only as accurate as the sign-in sheet behind it.
Keep the youth voice real. Reflections and quotes in a report should be the students' own words, not AI rewrites.
Used this way, AI for youth programs is a time saver for the administrative half of the work. Used carelessly, it becomes a new source of errors in the one document funders read closest.
The Gathering 2026 at a glance
The Gathering 2026 is the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund's annual flagship convening, hosted with its Grantee Planning Committee. The 2026 theme is Imagine Baltimore, and the day ties directly into the Baltimore Youth Master Plan. Admission is free, with meals and materials provided by BCYF.
Detail | Information |
Date | Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
Time | 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM (doors open at 8:00 AM) |
Location | Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore, MD |
Theme | Imagine Baltimore |
Cost | Free |
Sessions | 27 sessions led by grassroots leaders, youth, and practitioners |
Registration |
Youth leadership runs through the program. BCYF reports that 12 of the 27 sessions at The Gathering 2026 include presenters aged 0 to 24, or 44% of the agenda.
The convening also has a track record. The Gathering 2024 earned a satisfaction rating above 4.7 out of 5, and 84% of attendees reported a strong sense of belonging, according to BCYF's event page.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is The Gathering 2026?
The Gathering 2026 takes place Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Doors open at 8:00 AM. The event is free, and BCYF provides meals and materials.
Who should attend Whitney Ramirez's session?
The session suits program directors, youth workers, educators, and small nonprofit leaders who handle both delivery and reporting. No technical background is needed. If you have ever rebuilt a quarter's activity from memory the week a report was due, the session is aimed at you.
What AI tools do D2D students use?
Millionaire's Club Ambassadors at Diapers 2 Deposits use Gemini for research and drafting, Canva for design, Interacty for interactive activities, and GameClass for game-based lessons.
Can AI write a grant report for my organization?
AI can draft and organize a grant report from evidence you supply, but it cannot verify outcomes or attendance. Staff should check every number and claim before submission. The stronger approach is collecting artifacts during the program so AI has accurate material to work from.
Is it safe to use AI with youth program data?
It is safe when you keep identifying information out of the tool. Remove student names, IDs, birthdates, and photos before using any AI platform, and follow your district, parent consent, and funder policies for sharing student work.
Where to start
Whitney Ramirez's session at The Gathering 2026 is built for the reality of Baltimore's youth sector: small teams, big reporting demands, and young people who deserve better programming than a stretched staff can always deliver. The answer she brings is one workflow that does both jobs.
If your organization serves Baltimore youth, register for The Gathering 2026 and bring a program you want to document better. To see the model in practice first, read how D2D runs its financial literacy after school programs in Montgomery County.
