GROWING AND CONNECTING DESIGN LEADERS
The Building Hero Project
The Building Hero Project is a community design leadership initiative for youth and adults to be designers, builders, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and catalysts in their communities. Specifically, the Building Hero Training is a free multi-week program in which participants gain hands-on experience with digital and wood fabrication while learning valuable life-long design, building, prototyping, creative problem-solving, advocacy, storytelling, collaboration, and leadership skills. The Training is typically offered 2 times per year (spring and fall). Class size ranges from 10-12 people per cohort.
Participants attend two 2.5-hour sessions per week, with optional extra practice and building time during Tiny WPA’s normal business hours. Fundamentally different from other design-education initiatives, the Training is action-oriented and product-driven with a focus on using design to solve every day needs in people’s lives. The Heroes-In-Training collaboratively learn to create a range of existing Building Heroes products such as a bench and side table, and, through design, discover how to hone and leverage their unique strengths to lead others. Each product acts as a specific lesson for participants to gain experience with a particular tool or fabrication technique.
After completing the Training, new Building Heroes gain free access to Tiny WPA’s workshop (during business hours) plus assistance in realizing their own projects. Heroes also become eligible paid positions as full or part time Fabricators and Designers, assisting with Tiny WPA’s community projects as well as working on Hero Fabrication, custom contract design and fabrication services. Beyond these opportunities at Tiny WPA, Building Heroes independently initiate improvements in their schools and communities; help other organizations with their design/fabrication needs; and/or start their own businesses. Past Heroes have also used their new skills to start and run maker spaces at their high schools. Others leveraged their experience to attain admission into top design and architecture schools on full or partial scholarship: in these cases, Heroes end up helping run their university’s maker spaces and labs, formally teaching their fellow students how to use everything from a laser cutter to a table saw.
APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2024 ARE OPEN!
FALL 2024 Training Program details:
The Fall 2024 program includes 16-sessions between Tuesday, October 1st and Thursday, December 5th.
Sessions are on Tuesdays + Thursdays 5:30-8:00pm (plus 1 Saturday community build in November, date TBD). Participants must be able to attend every session.
All sessions take place at Tiny WPA’s community workshop located at 3145 W Jefferson St in Brewerytown (Poth Brewery Building).
Open to individuals ages 14 and up.
FREE! But adults are asked to make a $100 deposit that is refundable upon completion of the program.
Space is limited! Only 10-12 individuals are selected for each Training Program.
This is a special opportunity that will take your full commitment and lots of hard work, but you will be able to make some pretty awesome things when you are done.
FALL APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th
No experience necessary. We've had every age and ability participate: from all-star grandmas to full-fledged designers.
The Building Hero Project is support in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Spring Point Partners, and the Rostair Foundation, among other donors.