Big Thought: The Ecosystem Intermediary behind Dallas City of Learning
Written by: Merita Irby, strategic advisor, and Karen Pittman, editor-in-chief and publisher
At Big Thought, we’ve always believed that learning happens everywhere — not just inside classroom walls. For nearly four decades, our work has centered creative learning, community partnerships, and network-driven opportunity so that young people can develop the skills, agency, and confidence to thrive in a changing world.
That approach caught national attention in Youth Today, where Big Thought is featured as a leading ecosystem intermediary helping shape Dallas City of Learning — a citywide network of partners delivering high-quality learning experiences across arts, STEM, literacy, critical thinking, and more.
From engaging libraries and cultural institutions to connecting educators and community organizations, our ecosystem model is built to expand access, measure real impact, and ensure youth farthest from opportunity have pathways to future success.
This profile highlights how Big Thought has evolved from bringing arts into schools in 1987 to building distributed learning systems that activate partners, elevate youth voice, and redefine what it means to support young people’s growth.
Read the full article to explore how ecosystem thinking is changing the way communities support youth development:
