SEED Program Workshop

The Long Beach Community Design Center, together with planning colleagues James Rojas and Vidal Marquez, hosted a hands-on model-building workshop at the Billie Jean King Library. The session introduced high school educators from CSU Long Beach and Long Beach library staff to the principles of urban planning and design thinking, with the goal of helping them integrate these concepts into the STEAM Ecosystem Expansion Demonstration (SEED) program.

SEED is a summer design camp for 7th and 8th graders that immerses students in a progression of creative experiences. It begins with Foundational Workshops, where students are introduced to the design thinking process and build essential 21st-century skills such as collaboration, empathy, and ideation. From there, Discovery Workshops led by community educators expose students to new perspectives and practices, allowing them to apply what they’ve learned in fresh and engaging ways. The program culminates in Design Thinking Workshops, a three-Saturday, project-based experience where students take on the challenge of designing and prototyping solutions for real people.