Young Design Champions
Young Design Champions enables young people to learn about the design process, and become actively involved in decision-making about buildings and spaces which affect them.
This diverse programme involves children aged 8-16 in school/community settings across the South West. It primarily links to two national building development projects aimed at transforming school buildings and grounds: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and the Primary Capital Programme. It also aims to include support work for the Playbuilder and My Place prgrammes; national projects to redevelop play spaces and youth centres.
The Young Design Champions programme aims to:
- Develop knowledge and skills about design, public art, landscaping, sustainability, planning and citizenship in young people
- Develop understanding and appreciation of the art form of architecture and the impact it has on young people’s lives
- Enable involvement in ‘real-life’ design decisions/processes – the questions to ask, and understanding the answers
- Empower young people – through involvement in decision making about the spaces that affect them
- Embed a cultural change among architectural professionals, to value the role of the young person as a client.
"Youth participation … includes the empowerment of young people through capacity-building and increased access to human development opportunities. It represents a situation in which young people are no longer seen as passive recipients of resources or as the cause of society’s problems, but rather as important contributors to their countries’ development—contributors whose efforts are recognized and whose involvement is nurtured."
United Nations World Youth Report 2007
