Community Co-Design | Berkeley Turkish School + CCA
Teaching Culture Through Creativity
Designed and led a series of partnership-based studios connecting CCA industrial design students with local schools to co-create educational tools grounded in culture, community, and sustainability.
The work focused on how design can support social and environmental impact through real engagement. In collaboration with the Berkeley Turkish School and Berkeley Montessori School, students explored how to design culturally resonant learning experiences, including projects centered on teaching culture through creativity and exploring native histories of the Bay Area.
I developed and facilitated a co-design framework that combined design research, hands-on workshops, and direct collaboration with students, educators, and families. These studios created space for listening, observing, and building alongside real users, shifting the role of the designer from creator to collaborator.
Through this process, students engaged deeply with the communities they were designing for, learning to translate insight into meaningful, contextually grounded solutions.
Impact
Student-designed educational tools were adopted into school curricula
Students gained first-hand experience co-designing with real users in live environments
Established a model for culturally grounded, community-driven design education
Strengthened connections between academic studios and local communities
Below images are educational products designed by CCA ID Students for the Engage Studios 2016-2017
