National Building Museum Outreach Programs
I would like to contact parents about our free
outreach programs at the National Building Museum, open to
students 11 - 18 years old.
We have had several home-schooled students who have stumbled
across our programs, and their participation has been a great
experience for them, as well as bringing a neat perspective to
the program as a whole. Any assistance you can give would be
much appreciated. Below is a description of our outreach programs,
FYI
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From the Electronic Desk of
Stacie E. Lemmon
Asst. Coordinator of Outreach Programs
slemmon@nbm.org
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
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(202)272-2448 ext. 3556 [v]
(202)376-3564 [fax direct]
(202)272-2564 [fax general]
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For the Design Apprenticeship Program, my counterpart, Julian,
is the new
contact person. Below is his information:
Julian Looney
Asst. Coordinator of Outreach Programs
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-272-2448 ext. 3306
jlooney@nbm.org
CityVision
(1993 - Present)
Begins Tuesday, October 15, 2002
CityVision
is the Museum's flagship youth education program, introducing
many students to the Museum for the first time. The program is
held once a week for a full school day for 12-14 sessions during
both the fall and spring semester. Participants are expected
to attend every session and get extra credit in their civics
or social studies class for successfully completing the program.
This program serves between 60 and 70 kids each year.
Students work in small groups with volunteer professionals
and university students to identify a problem in the community
around their school and design a built-environment solution to
the problem. The Museum has established long-term partnerships
with five DC public schools in under-served communities.
Focus: Basic exposure to the concepts and products of design,
focusing on community development. The program culminates with
the students making a formal presentation in front of a panel
of design professionals and an audience of peers and family using
slides, scale models, maps, and measured drawings.
Structure: Local professionals get credits for community service
needed for professional registration, university students may
receive three credits for independent study. All volunteers get
Museum member benefits for participating. Volunteers attend every
other session.
Investigating
Where We Live (1995 - Present)
Investigating Where We Live is summer program where students
work in three to four teams with volunteer professionals and
university students to photo-document two local neighborhoods,
then design and build a Museum exhibit based on their photos.
This program serves between 20 - 25 kids each year. Participants
meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for five weeks in July and August.
Students may use the program to fulfill community service
hours required to graduate from high school, and everyone gets
a free 35mm camera and film at the end of the program. Participants
retain rights to all their photos and all their negatives.
This program is open enrollment, with priority given to former
National Building Museum students. Students first learn to get
to know the communities and to take pictures, and then learn
about exhibit design and fabrication. This program is being piloted
in other cities, including Rockville, Maryland, and New York
City.
Focus: Using the camera to learn about basic issues of neighborhood
character, and how those issues show up in the built environment.
Students also learn the basics principles of exhibit design.
The program culminates in an exhibit opening and a month-long
display of the exhibit.
Structure: Local professionals get credits for community service
needed for professional registration, university students may
receive three credits for independent study or for a summer internship.
All volunteers get Museum member benefits for participating.
Professional volunteers attend every other session and interns
attend every session.
Design Apprenticeship
Program [DAP Squad] (2000 - Present)
Begins Tuesday, November 2, 2002
The
Design Apprenticeship Program was created to provide direct
hands-on opportunities for youth in a variety of media. Students
work in small teams with volunteer professionals and university
students to design and construct small projects. This program
serves between 30 - 50 kids each year.
Projects are designed to fit into a few sessions (3 - 9),
and result in a built product. Some products are community interventions,
and are located on sites provided by community partners such
as the information kiosk at the Watha T. Daniel Library. Others
are small-scale projects such as designing and building light
fixtures. Each program is scheduled independently, if possible
on Saturdays. Participants are expected to attend every session
and get extra credit in their civics or social studies class
for successfully completing the program. Students may use the
program to fulfill community service hours required to graduate
from high school.
Focus: Students develop their design skills and test them
by building projects. The program is actually a series of short
projects.
Structure: Local professionals get credits for community service
needed for professional registration, university students may
receive three credits for independent study. All volunteers get
Museum member benefits for participating. Volunteers attend every
other session.
Shaw
EcoVillage, Youth EcoDesign Corps (1998 - Present)
This program, offered by the Shaw EcoVillage Project, is an
outgrowth of the CityVision program. The Museum provides support
with class space, access to tools and materials and curriculum
development. Shaw EcoVillage Project, and local community-based
organization, provides the day-to-day staffing and management.
Students work in four to five teams with university interns on
specific projects proposed by other community organizations.
Each team develops a large proposal and analysis on the issue,
and does some hands-on component of the proposal. Participants
meet Monday through Friday for five weeks in July and August.
This program serves between 20 - 25 kids each year.
Focus: Students work on specific community issues, and develop
design proposals. This program is considered the next step from
CityVision, and is based in large part on that curriculum. Students
are expected to build on existing design and graphic skills,
and add understanding of community development and sustainability/green
design. The program culminates in a formal presentation.
This program is open enrollment, with priority given to former
National Building Museum students and students who live or attend
school in Shaw. Staff consists of Shaw EcoVillage interns (college),
staff and visiting professionals. The first part of the program
focuses on learning basics of design and sustainability, with
later sessions focused on specific group projects.
Structure: Local professionals get credits for community service
needed for professional registration, university students receive
three credits for a summer internship, and a stipend. Professional
volunteers attend specific sessions as needed. Students are paid
to participate, and are encouraged to take internships and jobs
with community agencies and professionals.
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