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Hunger and food

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Housing and homelessness

Community health

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Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

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The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

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Jewish Fertility Foundation

Prism Design Lab is a tax-exempt nonprofit that runs NORTHSTAR and is led by Executive Director Heather Ferrell.

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Prism Design Workshops - Summer 2026 in Partnership with MCJC Freedom School

The Belonging Poetry Anthology Through the Rising Voices Poetry Project in Collaboration with Dr. Cortland Gilliam and Prism Design Lab

From Imagination to Reality: Exploring Architecture with Elementary Students

What Is Architecture? Exploring Design, Creativity, and Community at Chapel Hill Public Library

Team Spotlight: Celebrating Brittany

STEAM Day at Smith Middle School, Chapel Hill.

Architecture in Spring

Welcome, Ololade!

2025 Impact Report

Belonging Is...

Northside Elementary History Night

Ololade Alaran

Heather Ferrell

Brittany Fountain

Meet Tamera! ✨ Tamera Anderson is one of our four Youth Design Durham! college mentors. A senior at North Carolina Central University and the 2026–2027 president of NOMAS on her campus, Tamera is passionate about creativity and making architecture more visible to younger generations. She loves the idea of turning 2D drawings into 3D designs and is excited to share that passion with the next generation of designers. We’re glad to have Tamera as part of the Prism Design Lab Youth Design Durham! family! 💛 #prismdesignlab #youthdesignteam #noma #architecture #designeducation

We absolutely love seeing our young designers bring their creativity to life, one LEGO bricks at a time! 🧱 ✨ Look closely at these masterpieces. What jumps out to you from these models? Tell us in the comments! 👇 #prismdesignlab #youngdesigners #creativelearning #legoarchitecture #architectureeducation

Youth Design Durham Cohort 2 is here! Through Youth Design Durham! with Student U, 15 high school students are turning their ideas into real design possibilities, exploring everything from floor plans and furniture layouts to treehouses, firepits, and music studios. With guidance from Prism facilitators and NCCU Pre-Architecture mentors, they’re learning that architecture is about more than buildings. It’s about people, community, and creating spaces that reflect the people who use them. Their ideas. Their spaces. Their voices. 💜 If you could design a space just for you and your community, what would it include? Tell us in the comments! 👇 #PrismDesignLab #YouthDesignDurham #ArchitectureEducation #YouthEmpowerment DesignForBelonging

On September 28, young minds had the freedom to design at our Exploring Architecture program. We worked with 134 K–5 students at Hope Valley Elementary and Pearsontown Elementary during their three-week intersession break. Exploring architecture is a program where youngsters express their creativity through fun, curiosity, and hands-on learning bringing their ideas to life! 🎨💡 It’s always a delight to see what they come up with. 💜 #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #durhamnc

Recap of Prism Design Lab’s presentation at the @nomanational conference 2026 where we discussed Designing a Third Space: Centering Youth Voice in the Built Environment. It was amazing to see how deeply this topic resonated with our audience. It is a reflection that the architecture profession needs more of these conversations! We’ve shared a few snippets, but trust us, they barely capture the energy in the room. Here’s to more honest conversations, fresh perspectives, and a profession that keeps growing. #prismdesignlab #designeducation #noma #ncnoma #architecture

On the 16th of October, Prism Design Lab will present Designing a Third Space: Centering Youth Voice in the Built Environment at the @nomanational Annual Conference. This is centered around one of our first workshops with Durham youth. We are excited and looking forward to sharing the program process with you. #prismdesignlab #nomaconference2026 #architecture #designeducation

Spotlighting @darecoulter, an artist, muralist, sculptor, and illustrator turning Black joy into public art across NC. #artistspotlight #prismdesignlab #darecoulter #publicarts #chapelhill

📷 by Matt Ramey We're putting down roots at Boardinghouse Arts which is a new multidisciplinary space at 703 W. Trinity Ave in Durham. We won’t be running youth programs out of this one, but it’s officially home base for the Prism team. Boardinghouse Arts is the new project from Laura Ritchie and Shirlette Ammons. Inside an old building that once held a grocery downstairs and boardinghouse upstairs, you’ll now find a gallery, a recording studio, and a full floor of working studios, including ours. Boardinghouse Arts is opening its doors for an open house on Saturday 19 from 4pm to 7pm. Tour the building, meet the neighborhood, and say hi to Prism while you’re there!

Creativity is fluid. Doesn’t have a boundary and can be expressed in so many ways and through different mediums. What does CREATIVITY mean to you? #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #designeducation

Hey Prism community, How many of our programs have you been a part of, heard of, or know someone who has? Here is a few we’ve done in the past. Keep up with us as we’ll be sharing our past programs and those to look forward to. #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #designeducation

Architects listen, imagine, solve problems, shape spaces where life happens + design buildings. Who else thought what architects do was just sketching? #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #designeducation

✨ Meet Erin! @eekrupa is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at NC State University and the founder of Exploring Mathematics Curricula Creatively (EMC²), where she works to make mathematics more engaging and meaningful for students in grades 6–12. Through innovative curriculum and educator development, Erin is helping reimagine what mathematics learning can look like. We are so grateful to have you as one of our invaluable Board of Directors members, and we are excited to celebrate you! 💛 Thank you for inspiring young people to see possibilities beyond the classroom. ✨ #prismdesignlab #teamspotlight #creativeeducation #educator #designeducation

Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? Starting this August, our newsletter is going monthly instead of quarterly! 🎉 We have so much to share, and we want to keep you in the loop more often. 💌 Head over to our website to subscribe and stay connected! #prismdesignlab #designeducation #architecturaleducation #designthinking #creativelearning

Why do we use LEGO as one of our medium for creativity at Prism Design Lab? 🧱 Because LEGO gives young people something powerful: the freedom to imagine, build, experiment, take apart, and try again. Through LEGO, students explore architecture and design while developing problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, and design-thinking skills. A handful of bricks can become a building, a neighborhood, or an entirely new idea. For us, it’s never just LEGO. It’s a starting point for bigger ideas. ✨ #PrismDesignLab #ArchitectureEducation #DesignEducation #DesignThinking #CreativeLearning

In the final workshop of our Summer 2026 Freedom School series with the @mcjcenter, high school students designed Community Food Hubs which a space that make it easier to grow, prepare, share, and access healthy food. Working in teams, students created community gardens, kitchens, seed libraries, gathering spaces, and resource centers with various artistic materials. They also explored how thoughtful design can strengthen communities by incorporating climate resilience strategies such as rainwater harvesting, solar energy, composting, and emergency food storage. #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #chapelhillarts

In Workshop 2 of our Summer 2026 Freedom School series in partnership with @mcjcenter, high school students redesigned spaces into edible landscapes through site planning, sketching, modeling, and collaboration. They modelled environments that produce fresh food, support biodiversity, and create welcoming places with the use of various materials such as clay, tracing paper, magazines, cardboards, and scrap exchange materials. Next up: Workshop 3, where students will bring their ideas to the next scale by designing a Community Food Hub that supports food access, learning, and community resilience. 🌱

On July 28th, we partnered with the @mcjcenter Freedom School to challenge high school students to think beyond the plate and explore how the built environment shapes access to food. Through mapping activities, discussions, and local case studies, students examined how transportation, neighborhood design, and community resources influence food access, and they began to imagine solutions through architecture and community design. Students broke into groups for hands-on exercises, sharing their ideas and learning from local farmers’ stories. #prismdesignlab #artseducation #architectureeducation #designthinking #creativeeducation

✨ Every number tells a story. Every student represents a future filled with possibility. Prism Design Lab has reached 7,000+ students, facilitated 160+ workshops, and partnered with 38+ schools across North Carolina’s Triangle region since 2023. All with one mission: expanding access to architecture, design, and creative learning. None of this would be possible without our incredible partners, supporters, volunteers, educators, and families. Thank you for believing in the power of design education and helping us inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and changemakers. We’re just getting started, and we’re excited for all that’s ahead. 💜 #PrismDesignLab #DesignEducation #ArchitectureEducation #STEMEducation #CreativeLearning

✨ Meet Dr. Cortland Gilliam - Board member, Prism Design Lab✨ For over a decade, @corter_pounder has worked at the intersection of poetry, education, research, and community engagement, using creativity to bring people together. He is passionate about building meaningful relationships between communities, schools, and cultural institutions, and creating spaces where every voice is valued. From mentoring young people to supporting local artists and leading community initiatives, he believes storytelling has the power to inspire connection and lasting change. Through every poem, partnership, and conversation, he continues to champion creativity, belonging, and community. 🤍 #prismdesignlab #creativeeducation #teamspotlight #poetry #trianglenc

We bring you our mission and vision: ✨ Every great idea starts with curiosity. At Prism Design Lab, we’re creating spaces where young people can imagine boldly, think creatively, and discover the power of design. Through hands-on workshops, architecture, art, and storytelling, students of all ages are learning that they have the ability to shape the communities around them. We believe design education is more than learning how to build. It’s about building confidence, creativity, collaboration, and a sense of belonging. Together, we’re inspiring the next generation of architects, designers, artists, and change-makers. #prismdesignlab #artseducation #designthinking #architectureeducation #exploringdesign

Meet our founder, @heather_lena Heather Ferrell, AIA, NOMA, SEED is a designer, advocate, and educator working at the intersection of architecture, education, and community to expand who gets to shape the built environment. Born in Durham and now based in Orange County, she is passionate about using design as a tool for social impact. Throughout her career, Heather has specialized in Public Interest Design, partnering with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations to create spaces that serve and uplift communities, including affordable housing developments across the triangle area. In 2022, she founded Prism Design Lab, an arts education nonprofit dedicated to introducing young people—especially those underrepresented in the profession—to architecture and design. Prism is built on the belief that expanding access to design education strengthens both the profession and the communities it serves. Heather serves as Prism’s Executive Director and is a member of the SEED Network, the Association for Community Design, and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). She holds a B.S. in Anthropology from NC State University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon, and is a licensed architect in North Carolina and Massachusetts. #prismdesignlab #arteducation #creativework #founder #nonprofitorganization

✨ Imagination doesn’t stop when the workshop ends. Thanks to the support of AIA Activate, 177 students at @lakewoodelemdps, Murray-Massenburg Elementary, and @glennespride each received a LEGO® kit to take home; giving them the opportunity to keep imagining, building, and creating long after our Exploring Architecture workshops concluded. We believe creativity grows when young minds have the tools to explore their ideas, and we can’t wait to see what these future designers build next. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners and facilitators who helped make this experience possible: @britt_victoriaaa @heather_lena @aiatriangle @nihazrl #PrismDesignLab #ExploringArchitecture #ArchitectureEducation #STEMEducation #DesignThinking

✨ Welcome to a space where creativity, storytelling, and community come together. The Belonging poetry anthology is the culmination of the Rising Voices Poetry Project (2025–2026), a year-long, grant-funded creative writing and social futuring workshop series for fifth-grade students of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Designed and led by @corter_pounder, 2023–2024 Chapel Hill Poet Laureate, with support from Prism Design Lab and Executive Director @heather_lena, this project invited students to reflect on the meaning of belonging through both independent and collaborative poem-writing sessions. Every student wrote their own personal poem about what belonging means to them, then selected a favorite line to help collectively construct a classroom poem. The poems in this collection are those final classroom poems. Each line a distinct voice, quilted together. This work was made possible through the support of the Town of Chapel Hill’s Division of Community Arts & Culture and the Frances R. Dewing Foundation. We are so grateful to the incredible educators, teachers, and administrators of Northside Elementary, Ephesus Elementary, Frank Porter Graham Elementary, Estes Hills Elementary, and Rashkis Elementary. And finally, thank you to the brilliant and visionary fifth graders. Your creativity, honesty, imagination, and willingness to share your voices made this poetry collection possible. We hope you continue to speak up, share your voice, and create a world where everyone can find belonging. 💛 #PrismDesignLab #RisingVoicesPoetryProject #Belonging #YouthVoices #CreativeWriting

✨ From imagination to reality ✨ There’s nothing quite like watching students’ faces light up when their ideas come to life. Through our Exploring Architecture workshops in CHCCS, DPS, and OCS public schools, students explored architecture, design thinking, and problem-solving through hands-on creativity and imagination. Using LEGO® bricks, students brought their ideas to life through models and storytelling. Then came the exciting part, using AI visualization tools, we transformed their creations into realistic representations of what these concepts could become. The results were inspiring, and honestly, we were blown away by the creativity, innovation, and vision these young designers brought to the table. A heartfelt thank you to AIA Activate, Orange County Arts Commission, MetLife Foundation, and Triangle Community Foundation for supporting this work and helping make these opportunities possible. The future of design is bright, and it starts with opportunities like these. Special thanks to @britt_victoriaaa, @heather_lena, @aiatriangle, and @lakewoodelemdps for helping make these moments possible. #PrismDesignLab #ExploringArchitecture #ArchitectureEducation #STEMEducation #designthinking

🏛️ What is Architecture? On June 20, we joined @ncnoma and @diversifyarchitecture at Chapel Hill Public Library for an interactive exploration of architecture with children, parents, and caregivers of all ages. From storytime and coloring activities to LEGO creations, structural building challenges, and designing cityscapes. Throughout the event, families worked together to imagine, create, problem-solve, and explore architecture. At Prism Design Lab, we believe design education should be accessible, engaging, and community-centered. Experiences like these help children build confidence, creativity, and curiosity while strengthening family connections through hands-on learning. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this event such a memorable celebration of architecture, imagination, and community. Special thanks to our partners and sponsors: @ncnoma @aianc @DiversifyArchitecture @chapelhillpubliclibrary ✨ The future of design begins with curiosity. #PrismDesignLab #WhatIsArchitecture #ArchitectureForEveryone #DesignEducation #CommunityDesign

✨ Team Spotlight: @britt_victoriaaa ✨ For the past two years, Brittany has inspired students through Prism Design Lab’s Freedom School Design and Exploring Architecture Workshops, encouraging creativity and a love for design. Her passion for sustainable, human-centered design began with LEGO building and STEM camps and has grown into an exciting career path. We’re proud to celebrate Brittany’s recent graduation from UNCG with a degree in Interior Design and wish her all the best as she begins her Master of Science in Architecture at UNCC this fall. 🎓 Congratulations, Brittany! We are so proud of your accomplishments, grateful for the inspiration you bring to our students, and excited to see all that you achieve in this next chapter. 💙 #PrismDesignLab #TeamSpotlight #ArchitectureEducation #InteriorDesign #STEMEducation

What if middle school students could redesign cities sustainably? After 5 workshops and engagement with 105 brilliant minds at Smith Middle School exploring Sustainable Architecture & Urban Design, we know this is possible. Through hands-on exploration and collaboration, they blended creativity with sustainability proposing urban design ideas rooted in green technology, resilient infrastructure, and community-centered planning. We have a conviction that the future of sustainable design is already taking shape. #prismdesignlab #artseducation #architecture #chapelhillarts #designthinking

We wrapped up a fun and busy spring semester of Exploring Architecture workshops, reaching over 600 students in grades K-8. No matter how many times we do these workshops, we continue to be impressed by the bright ideas that our students come up with. And we feel lucky to witness the superheroes who are our public school educators. Thank you to our staff, volunteers, and supporters who make this work possible. This program is supported by AIA Activate, Chapel Hill Carrboro City schools, the Orange County Arts Commission, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Welcome to the Prism team, Ololade!! Ololade started working with us as a Youth Design Durham! student mentor in 2024, and will now wear multiple hats as our Communications Coordinator. She's an architectural designer, project manager, and sustainability specialist who is passionate about resilient and inclusive design. We're thrilled that she is sharing her brilliance and creativity with us and the young people we work with.

Happy New Year from the Prism crew!!! We're closing out the year with a poem about Belonging, written together by poet Cortland Gilliam and 5th graders at Frank Porter Graham Elementary. We had the joy of witnessing @corter_pounder as he engaged students in creating poetry this fall through the Rising Voices Poetry Project. We continue to be inspired by the young people in our community and hope that their perspectives bring you joy and peace in the new year. The Rising Voices Poetry Project is made possible through the support of the Town of Chapel Hill's Arts & Culture Award Program, and the Frances R. Dewing Foundation.

Fifth graders at Northside Elementary are turning math into design! In our Volume in Action workshop, students built model buildings to bring their 2D city plans to life - applying what they’ve learned about compound volume while thinking like architects. This workshop began as a collaboration with Northside educators to help students deepen their understanding of volume, and it’s grown into a joyful annual tradition. We loved spending the day building, calculating, and imagining right alongside these young designers. #PrismDesignLab #ArtsEducation #DesignThinking #STEMtoSTEAM #YouthDesign #CHCCS #ArchitectureEducation #HandsOnLearning

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