Youth Program
Some of the most exciting design happens when you put tools in the hands of young makers and get out of the way.
During AIA San Francisco’s Architecture Week 2026, the Center welcomed Girls Garage, a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9–18, and the first-ever design and building workshop for female-identifying and gender-expansive youth in the United States, for a morning of celebration, community, and creativity.
Students presented the woodworking and built objects they’d crafted through the Girls Garage program, sharing their process, their inspiration, and the skills they developed along the way. Part showcase, part conversation, it was entirely worth showing up for.
Friends, family, fellow students, and the broader design community joined to experience the work firsthand, meet the makers behind it, and celebrate what happens when young people are given the space, and the tools, to build something real. This is what the future of design looks like.
This event was part of the 2026 Youth Design Festival, presented during Architecture Week 2026 by AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design. This event has already taken place.
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