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City Lab Workforce Development: Empowering Students Through Design Thinking
A pilot program teaching high school students design, teamwork, and leadership through workshops and field experiences.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Changemakers.
How do we prepare today’s students to address tomorrow’s biggest challenges? For many young people, opportunities to engage in hands-on learning and leadership development are limited. City Lab Workforce Development is a pilot program designed to fill that gap, inspiring high school students to become future leaders in design, advocacy, and environmental justice. Led by Jevon Taylor of Green Dot Coalition and Sarah Konradi of Design Workshop Foundation, the program gives students hands-on experiences in design thinking, teamwork, and communication while encouraging them to imagine bold solutions for their communities.
The Challenge: Building Representation and Opportunity
Despite growing conversations around equity and inclusion, students from underrepresented communities often lack access to programs that connect education with real-world impact. City Lab set out to change this by giving high school students direct exposure to thought leaders, field experiences, and collaborative problem-solving in design and advocacy.
The Approach: Immersive Learning in Action
Over the course of eight weeks, students participated in a series of workshops, field trips, and mentorship sessions designed to spark creativity and leadership. Guided by program leaders Jevon Taylor (Green Dot Coalition, Green Spaces) and Sarah Konradi (Design Workshop Foundation), students learned to approach challenges through critical design thinking, teamwork, and effective communication.
Key components included:
Six site visits and field trips to connect lessons with real-world applications
Collaborative workshops blending design, advocacy, and environmental justice
Mentorship and guest instructors offering diverse expertise and inspiration
Final presentations where students showcased their solutions to peers and community leaders
Image Credits: Divine Ramazani
Empowering Student Voices
At the heart of City Lab is the belief that young people have the power to transform their communities. Students reflected on their own role in driving change, building confidence in their ability to contribute to neighborhood solutions.
One student shared:
“My biggest takeaway from this course is understanding that I can be a part of making changes in my neighborhood.”
The Outcome: Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow
The pilot program successfully engaged 12 students in grades 10–12, providing a platform to explore design, advocacy, and environmental justice. Through immersive learning, students developed skills in teamwork, communication, and leadership—skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.
City Lab Workforce Development is more than an educational program; it’s a pathway to building a more inclusive, representative generation of leaders ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.