Let us show you how. Design the Future is an award winning Design Thinking and STEM summer program that teaches high school students the skills needed to make a difference. Join a team. Meet your expert design coach. And work with your Project Partner -- a wise mentor who lives with a disability -- to design a life-changing app that solves a problem they face in their daily life.
We're looking for students who are curious, motivated, and want to make the world a better place. Is that you?
Let's Do This!
See what past students have to say about the impact of Design the Future on their lives...
6 Years
61 Project Partners
84 Life-Changing Products
Design the Future is an award-winning Design Thinking & STEM summer program that teaches high school students how to design and build products for individuals with disabilities.
The program, created by DC Design and developed in collaboration with the Institute of Design at Stanford University (the d.school), partners teams of high school students and their university design coach with an individual living with a physical disability, whom we call a Project Partner.
Over the course of the program, student teams work to design real solutions to the everyday challenges their Project Partners face.
Design the Future: Digital is the next iteration of this program, offering students from all over the world the chance to participate from their own homes (taking place June 2021). In this two-week remote program, students design and launch real apps that improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.
Design the Future: Digital is the next iteration of this program, offering students from all over the world the chance to participate from their own homes (launching June 2021). In this two-week remote program, students design and launch real apps that improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.
Sign up for our FREE Design the Future: Digital webinar and WE'LL PAY YOU $50 toward your enrollment if you're accepted.
Design the Future: Digital is open to students worldwide!
As long as you have access to:
And you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply to be part of the program.
Any student who at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year was in the 8th - 12th grade can participate in Design the Future: Digital this summer.
High school students from all across the world will be taking part in Design the Future: Digital this summer! Will you?
Design the Future: Digital is open to students worldwide!
As long as you have access to:
And you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply to be part of the program.
Any student who at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year was in the 8th - 12th grade can participate in Design the Future: Digital this summer.
High school students from all across the world will be taking part in Design the Future: Digital this summer! Will you?
There are three ways to save on the program cost.
*Referral System will be rolled out soon for students who have registered and started an application.
Who You'll Learn From
Come from all walks of life, from university students to professional designers, we source the best mentors for students to gain the wisdom they need to succeed in this program and beyond.
40+ hours of guidance and mentorship by professionals: Designers, university design students, professors, experts in engineering, and more.
Fantastic speakers in the areas of health, mobility, design, engineering, assistive technology, autonomous living, entrepreneurship and more.
Experience designing and building a functional app, while also learning the skills needed to do it time and time again.
Real-world Design Thinking knowledge as used and taught by DC Design and the Stanford University design school (the d.school).
The chance to solve a real problem that negatively impacts your Project Partner’s life.
An understanding of UX & UI Design methods like persona creation, storyboarding, wireframing, app layout, app design, and more!
Life-changing insights from Project Partners about living with a disability and the importance of designing human-centered products.
Lasting friendships and membership in a select community of like-minded peers, all striving to make the world better.
Possibly, the best experience of your life!
Still not convinced? Sign up for our free informational session and receive a special code for $50 off. The future is yours to create. What will you make of it?
On the final day of the program, family, friends, and the wider community are invited to the Design the Future Expo, a virtual showcase of all student projects from the year. See and interact with their final products, learn about their stories, and see the journey our students, Project Partners, and Design Coaches took as they came together to create a new product to benefit the world.
But...Is Design the Future right for me?
Design the Future IS incredible...but it isn’t for everyone. You should only enroll in our 2021 class if you:
If a number of these things get you fired up, let's get started!
Sign up for our FREE Design the Future: Digital webinar and GET $50 OFF the cost of your enrollment if you're accepted.
