What Is Leadership by Design?

Leadership by Design (LbD) is CDS’ design education wing, offering educational programming and training to K-12 students and educators in the Triad area.  Through summer immersion camps and school-year mini-courses, our programs teach leadership skills by exposing students and teachers to the five steps of the design process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. By learning a process that prioritizes listening, research, and learning through failure, students build leadership capacity by collecting proven tools for future success, including empathy, curiosity & resilience.

High School Design Camp

Leadership by Design (LbD) summer camps are the only educational camps in the Piedmont Triad that combine design thinking instruction and career exposure with real-world projects. These week-long camps create an inclusive culture around the design of the built environment by affirming that we can all be designers and artists. Students partner with local nonprofit “clients” to design and build mockups of items that creatively address fundamental needs - from furniture to mud kitchens. These items can be used immediately by clients and leveraged as proof of concept for future projects. LbD camps provide value in two areas: (1) supports economic mobility through opportunities in design careers for local youth, and (2) creates a model for community-driven design in the built environment. Students earn two digital badges upon successfully completing camp: one for design thinking skills and a second for safe use of power tools.

  • Project: Design With Nature Camp (2020 & 2021)

    Partners: Gateway Nature Preserve & Mixxer Community Makerspace

    During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, high school students participated in a week-long outdoor design-build camp at Gateway Nature Preserve. This immersive experience combined ecology, mapping, and hands-on design work, fostering collaboration between students, local landscape architects, urban planners, and designers.

    Impact:

    • Designed and built benches along the nature trail and pollinator garden (still on-site as of 2025).

    • Constructed a mud kitchen (now inspiring a permanent installation).

    • Created educational signage to enhance visitor engagement.

    From the Community:
    "The way you identified the challenges of seating and the need to better identify the trail entrances was brilliant. Your benches are specific yet versatile—seating, collecting, and adaptable for different areas." – Cornelia Barr, Former Executive Director, Gateway Nature Preserve

    This project demonstrated the power of design thinking, hands-on learning, and nature in fostering leadership and resilience among students.

  • Leadership by Design Case Study: Design With City With Dwellings Camp

    Project: Design With City With Dwellings Camp (2023)
    Partners: City With Dwellings, DENT Creative Reuse Center & Mixxer Community Makerspace

    High school students explored urban design, architecture, and planning in Downtown Winston-Salem, collaborating with local design and engineering professionals. Through engagement with arts and service nonprofits like DENT and City With Dwellings, students gained insight into community needs and worked to create a more welcoming outdoor space for unhoused individuals.

    Impact:

    • Designed and built a game table featuring a laser-cut checkers board.

    • Installed hanging art, benches, and a supply box to enhance the space.

    • Partnered with City With Dwellings guests to complete the installation, fostering a shared sense of community.

    Lasting Change:
    As of 2025, the table and benches remain in use daily, offering a welcoming gathering place for visitors.

  • Leadership by Design Case Study: Design With Boston-Thurmond United Camp

    Project: Design With Boston-Thurmond United Camp (2024)
    Partners: Boston-Thurmond United, Cook Elementary School, Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, UNCSA & Mixxer Community Makerspace

    High school students explored urban design, architecture, and planning while working alongside local design and engineering professionals in one of Winston-Salem’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods. Through engagement with local historians, service providers, and resident elders, they gained a deep understanding of the community’s historical and cultural context—an example of designing with and not just for communities.

    Impact:

    • Designed and prototyped a park and garden space in a vacant lot.

    • Hosted a pop-up park event, inviting residents to experience the transformation.

    • Sparked ideas for future community-led projects through games, laughter, and connection.

    From the Community:
    "To see this [parklet] concept develop in the classroom and then take it to reality—that was exciting."
    – David West, Resident Leader

    "We had a guest from another Purpose Built community in Omaha visit, and she was so impressed that she raved about it to their leadership."
    – Regina Hall, Executive Director, Boston-Thurmond United

    "The walking tour gave students firsthand insight into what this neighborhood is like, what it could be, and the importance of community involvement."
    – Gregory Hairston, Community Engagement Manager, BTU

    This project demonstrated the power of youth-driven design to foster collaboration, cultural awareness, and meaningful community engagement.

Middle School Design Experience

A customized middle school curriculum modifies our week-long Leadership by Design camp curriculum into bite-sized chunks appropriate for middle school students.  During five 2-hour sessions, students will use the design thinking process to solve problems in their world. We’ll pilot this offering summer 2025.

  • "A great opportunity for students interested in engineering, design, architecture to gain experience with the process in a hands-on application collaborating with local nonprofit space.. What an incredible opportunity [CDS] has provided in this camp at such a low cost! We're very thankful to have been a part."

    LbD Parent, 2023

  • "This camp partnership allows us to reach out to an age group in the neighborhood that we've historically had trouble engaging with, so we're all for continuing with camp."

    Regina Hall, ED of Boston-Thurmond United

  • "At this age, my son loves anything he views as being a valuable/valid experience… Being able to talk to "real business" people and see varied career opportunities in the arts/architecture fields in our own town was perfect. He is really excited to pursue internship time with one business in particular. I have raved about the exposure to career options he had in just a short time to anyone who will listen. Thank you for all of your work! What a gift you are to our community!"

    LbD Parent, 2022

  • I loved the design and solid-yet-open look of the benches, especially the multiple purposes you envisioned for them—seating, collecting, use in different areas. They are specific yet versatile at the same time.

    E.D. Cornelia Barr, Gateway Nature Preserve

Elementary School
Design Curriculum

In collaboration with Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools teachers, CDS is developing a content-rich, three-session design project for third- through fifth-grade students. The program aligns with North Carolina state standards for math, art, and science and introduces professional design as a career option to some of our youngest learners.

Students will measure, design, and install a flower bed at their school, making a positive impact on their community through a real-life project. Piloted in third- and fourth-grade classrooms in 2023–2024, the curriculum will be finalized in 2025 and launched with trained volunteers in fall 2025 or spring 2026.

We are committed to making our design camps accessible to students in our community and are seeking sponsors to help cover camp costs for up to 30 participants. Your support ensures every student has the opportunity to attend and thrive. All sponsorships and donations are fully tax-deductible.