We created Purpose Commons to meet the growing demand for assistance from parents, policymakers, and practitioners – and from young people themselves. Today, so many people are reaching for something better than what the culture’s darkest elements are offering us. They’re searching for the joy that rises when we get to be part of something bigger than ourselves, for the sunlight that we feel when we tune into that feeling of forward momentum and purpose, and when we receive encouragement and tangible support to explore and follow it.

To make it happen, we drew inspiration from America’s oldest park, Boston Common, which for nearly 400 years has attracted people into a shared space to work, play, and dream together. In fact, we modeled the best of the commons in bringing this idea to the world. Each of us came to this work building on decades of influences and experiences drawn from our respective organizations and fields that kept purpose central, from Jana's early work at Hopelab co-creating play-based supports with and for young people living with cancer to Tony's participation in and partnership with 4H chapters across the county. Over the years, hundreds of people had a hand in elevating the ideas behind Purpose Commons and bringing them into the world.

Further, the concept of a Commons is appealing because it decenters the individual champion of any one cause. By this we mean, in a collaborative space, opportunities, resources, and recognition are more abundant and viable. Often, research and translation work elevates individuals through various forms of awards and recognition. As an infrastructure for collaboration, Purpose Commons is an intentional act of distributing the work and its outcomes.