Design Your Voice: Fashion and Civic Engagement

Workshop Overview

This workshop encourages youth to express their individuality and civic views through the medium of fashion design. Participants will learn how fashion can be a powerful tool for social change and personal expression, blending creative design with awareness of civic issues.

Workshop Activities

1. Introduction – “The Fabric of Society”: A brief presentation that illustrates how fashion has played a role in historical and modern movements for change, showing examples from the suffragette white dresses to modern “cause” tees.

2. Interactive Discussion – “Wear Your Values”: A guided conversation about current social issues that matter to participants and how they can represent these issues through fashion. This sets the stage for their design work, linking personal values to public expression.

3. Design Session – “Statement Pieces”: Participants sketch and then create simple wearable items like patches, T-shirts, or hats using fabric markers, stencils, and other craft supplies. Each piece should convey a message about a civic issue important to the creator.

4. Fashion Show Planning – “Catwalk for Change”: Youth plan a mini-fashion show where they will present their designs. They prepare a short explanation of their piece and the civic message behind it, practicing public speaking and advocacy skills.

5. Fashion Show Execution – “Runway of Rights”: Participants showcase their fashion items in a runway show attended by peers and community members. After presenting, designers share how their outfit represents their views and discuss the importance of civic engagement.

6. Reflection and Feedback – “Fashion Forward”: A debrief session where participants discuss what they learned about the intersection of fashion and advocacy, share feedback, and explore how they can continue to use fashion as a tool for social change

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

1881 east commerce plaza, san bernardino, california, United States