Youth Design Workshop Series
June 20, 2024 | McKinley Ogden (Prism Design Lab) | Photo Credit by McKinley Ogden and Bryan Bell
On Saturday, June 8th, Prism Design Lab had a presentation on the Youth Design Durham workshop series at City Hall and showed Durham leadership what ten high school aged youth designed for a Third Place. A Third Place for the young people of Durham is a trusted spot outside of school and work where they can connect and gather with others and ‘just be’. Durham’s youth have articulated the need for such a place and were the primary voice in the design process of the conceptual design of a physical site and structure.
With professional architects and designers as guides, the group of young creatives have learned the process and tools of design through the premise of a Third Place on a specific site in Durham. In addition, the workshops have impacted the youth by exposing them to architecture and design, teaching them new skills, and fostering relationships with design professionals.
This workshop series was primarily funded by the Office on Youth (OOY), a division of the Durham City Manager’s Office. In 2019, the OOY launched the Durham Youth Listening Project as a part of Durham’s Strategic Youth Initiative, with the goal of hearing directly from Durham’s young people about their needs, dreams, and challenges. Their findings reported the need for a place dedicated to youth that is safe, free, and provides activities and opportunities for leadership.
This project is being realized from the support of local government, businesses and community members. We are deeply grateful to our partners and sponsors: Durham’s Office on Youth, Durham County Library Maker + Steam Services, Triangle Community Foundation, Self-Help Ventures Fund, Gateway Building Company, and BuildSense.
