A virtual Student Leadership Forum hosted by the
F U T U R E S June 9 -12, 2021 • • • University of Michigan
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
D E S I G N
Design Futures
fosters capacity-building for student leaders to think critically about power, privilege, and positionality in the practice of community-engaged design and to rethink and elevate the role of the designer to address and dismantle systemic oppression in the built environment.
With racial justice and social equity at the core, participants learn
from award winning professional leaders pushing the conversation around equitable community development and who are leveraging the power of design for transfromation in society. Students learn effective community engagement tactics, facilitation skills, along with a critical analysis of systems of oppression, and how to integrate equitable values into projects.
The 2021 Design Futures Forum
will be a virtual, four-day, interdisciplinary leadership development convening hosted by the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. We will bring together 70+ student leaders from across the nation representing design programs from leading academic institutions and over 25 academic and practitioner faculty from private and non-profit based practices. We are looking to expand our network and continue the impact of our work. Help us shape the future generation of design leaders!
UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM INVITATION Dear Design Futures Supporter, We are reaching out to you today to invite your institution’s participation in the Design Futures Student Leadership Forum (Design Futures). Design Futures is a leadership development initiative that centers principles of racial justice and social equity. We seek university collaborators commited to social justice, so we can continue our work in educating the next generation of design leaders in the field. As a leadership intitative, we support students and practitioners to think critically about power, privilege, and positionality in the practice of community-engaged design and to reframe the role of the designer to address and dismantle systemic oppression in the built environment. We do this through our main convening, an interdisciplinary conference and training attended by student leaders and nationally recognized design practitioners across the county.
THERESA HWANG She/Her/Hers Program Director, Design Futures
D E S I G N F U T U R E S LEADERSHIP F O R U M
MICHIGAN JUNE 2021
designfuturesforum.org
Each year, we gather over 120 people to engage in deliberative discourse on the equitable design and development of the built environment. The Design Futures network includes over 15 leading academic universities and institutions across the nation, along with 110 practitioners and 420 alumni. It is the largest leadership initiative in the field of design and community development that trains emerging leaders how to empathetically engage and work with marginalized communities. From 2020, 30% of post-Forum survey respondents stated that the Forum was “transformational” and an additional 58% said it was “exciting and informative”. Words that participants used to describe the week ranged from inspiring, empowering, enlightening, educational, and motivational. Student leaders embraced being in a space where conversations on race, identity, and privilege were considered the norm. A highlight reiterated by many was the new friendships made, “finally meeting likeminded individuals who want to change the world, who believe equity and inclusion are important.” A big part of Design Futures is the community of practice, finding your place in the circle, and recognizing all our efforts are collective and build upon each other. This year, the University of Michigan will host the virtual Forum from June 9 - 12, 2021. We would like to invite your school’s membership to the ‘consortium’ of schools that attends the forum each year. Design Futures is more than just a convening, it is a loving and supportive community of individuals pushing the limits of impact to strive for a more equitable everyday. The relationships fostered during the five-day convening push beyond the week to create a network of impact across the nation. We seek to find more universities and student leaders to join our community of practice and to champion design as a tool for social equity and community impact. We hope that you’ll join is in this endeavor! With gratitude and care,
Theresa Hwang
DESIGN FUTURES BY THE NUMBERS
2020
12
70%
100%
88%
student cohorts from leading academic institutions
of workshops were led or co-led by People of Color
of student attendees identify as women
of student attendees stated that the Forum was “exciting and informative” or “transformative”
2021 SAMPLE SCHEDULE day 1
day 2
day 3
day 4
2:00 pm
Opening Circle
3:30 pm
Break
4:00 pm
Core 1: On This Site: Uncovering the (Racialized) History of Site, Places, and Neighborhoods
5:30 pm
Small Group Reflections
11:00 am
Core 2: Power, Privilege and Positionality Core 3: Advancing a Just Design Future
1:30 pm
Break
2:00pm
What’s Health Got to Do with it? How to Raise Money and Build Budgets, Equitably and Effectively
4:00 pm
University Cohort Small Groups
11:00 am
Core 2: Power, Privilege and Positionality Core 3: Advancing a Just Design Future
1:30 pm
Lunch: Affinity Spaces
2:00pm
Creating Community Agency: The Power of Organizing within the Design+ Planning Process Creating a Collaboration Framework for Community Resilience
4:00 pm
Public Keynote Lecture
11:00 am
Michigan Community Leaders Panel Discussion
1:30pm
Lunch: Affinity Spaces
2:00 pm
Equity and Leadership workshop
4:00pm
Collective Conversations and Closing Circle
PAST SPONSORS INCLUDE:
Futures showed me that one can truly use design to work with and for communities. The opportunity “ Design to be presented with diverse projects and real people who are doing this work each and every day taught me that everyone is a part of a community and that a future in this work is possible and necessary. My passion for designing accessible architecture was fueled by the incredible workshops where I learned how to effectively work with communities, understand complex social issues, and uncover the agency that I have to affect positive change. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have been immersed in an incredible community of individuals who are all passionate about working towards a future of equity. -COURTNEY KLEE
”
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
DESIGN FUTURES ADVISORY BOARD
Elgin Cleckley Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design Thinking School of Architecture, University of Viginia
Christine Gaspar Executive Director Center for Urban Pedagogy
Rajan Hoyle Master in City Planning Candidate MIT 2022 Design Futures Alumni 2014
Liz Ogbu Founder + Principal Studio O
Marc Norman Principal Ideas and Action Associate Professor of Practice University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Sarah Wu Assistant Director of Research School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin
MEMBERSHIP DETAILS $5,000 Annual University Consortium Registration
The $5000 registration cost includes yearlong networking opportunities: - participate as a member of the Design Futures University Consortium, including publicly identify the university as a member of the consortium - access to members of the Consortium, as well as to the national network of faculty and practitioners, over the course of the year - access to various digital communication channels, including the use of the the private Facebook page, and private Slack channel - 2 hour Faculty Consortium Orientation in March 2021 - First chance to register to attend the March faculty convening and 2 faculty registration fees (additional faculty must pay the registration costs for the Faculty convening) - send two faculty members and up to five students to the virtual Design Futures Forum in June 2021
$1,200 Individual Registrations
We realize not all schools can send a full cohort of students. We can accommodate single registrations for students and one faculty member
Pay-What-You-Can
We do not want cost to be a barrier for participation. Please contact us for sliding scale, pay-what-you-can, and scholarship opportunities.
CONTACT DESIGN FUTURES Theresa Hyuna Hwang (she/her) Program Director e.designfuturesforum@gmail.com or theresa@deptofplaces.org p. 213-308-8388
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS When and Where is Design Futures 2021? The University of Michigan will be hosting a virtual Forum from June 9 - 12, 2021. Local context will be grounded in Detroit, and the surrounding areas of Michigan. The virtual Forum will take place via Zoom and Slack.
How are student participants chosen to participate in the University Cohort? Each school goes about selecting participants a slightly different way. Some programs have an application process and others nominate participants. Either way, diversity tends to be an important part of the selection process and universities are mindful to send a group of students that are from a wide range of majors, programs, racial and cultural backgrounds, incomes, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, and beyond. Contact us if you need assistance with selecting a cohort.
What are the benefits of University participation? In addition to the educational investment in young leaders in the field of community-engaged design and for faculty members to expand their capacities around the work of equitable design, Design Futures offers an incredible networking opportunity for students and faculty to meet peers from across the country explicitly focused on social justice and how that manifests in design education and practice. Beyond capacity building, many universities have leveraged this convening as a social media and marketing opportunity to showcase their students in community-minded and equity-centered spaces and how their programs are leading the way in the field.
There is a lot of interest in attending, can more students or faculty attend? We have piloted the opportunity to turn the Design Futures Forum into a summer course for credit with partnering universities. In this case, we have increased attendance to up to 10 students per university for an additional registration cost. Please contact the Program Director for more information.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN - 2013 TULANE UNIVERSITY - 2014 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS - 2015 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA - 2016 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA - 2017 UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY - 2018 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH - 2019 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS - 2020 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - 2021
designfuturesforum@gmail.com designfuturesforum.org