SEED Summer Design Camp Nurtures Creativity and Innovation in Long Beach
The SEED (STEAM Ecosystem Expansion Demonstration) project is a multi-year, grant-funded initiative, to create a vibrant ecosystem of makers, learners, and educators in Long Beach. Hosted by the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) in collaboration with California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and Dramatic Results, SEED aims to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers.
At the heart of this initiative is the SEED Creative City Lab Summer Design Camp, a week-long program held at the Billie Jean King Main Library. This design camp offers middle school students a unique opportunity to engage in creativity, friendship, art, and design within the library's Creative City Lab. Throughout the Summer Design Camp, students immerse themselves in hands-on activities and work with an array of materials such as building blocks, clay, canvas, foam core, iPads, Tinkercad, and Procreate creative tools. Together, the students work on a design challenge which encourages them to tackle real-life challenges relevant to the Long Beach community. Topics range from climate and sustainability to civic engagement, public safety, and urban planning. The SEED Summer Design Camp also includes tours of Long Beach’s downtown environment to connect its students to the local vibrant arts and design culture. Here, students gain insights into diverse career opportunities and future creative pathways.
The success of the SEED Creative City Lab Summer Design Camp is due in large part to its team of dedicated educators. The program is taught by passionate community members and pre-service teachers from CSULB, who guide students throughout their activities during the week. Guest educators, such as art, architecture, design, and mindfulness experts, also contribute their knowledge and provide students with valuable insights.
The partnership between CSULB and LBPL is a cornerstone of the SEED initiative. Dr. Elaine Bernal, a lecturer in CSULB’s Chemistry and Biochemistry department shares, "SEED has been a wonderful opportunity to support students in creatively thinking about how to empower themselves and the community they live in. SEED enables many of our LBUSD students to use STEAM and Urban Planning concepts to design solutions based on the needs and experiences of the youth in our city, and I'm proud to be part of it."
Gabriel Gaete, the staff lead for the Long Beach Public Library, also shared his excitement for the program’s impact: "Now in our third year of summer programming for the SEED project, we are super proud of our latest version, The Creative City Lab. Partnering with artists, educators, local design agencies, and City Hall, we've crafted an experience for our middle school students that gives them a window into our vibrant creative community and provides them with the tools and inspiration to harness their own creativity in order to create positive change."
The SEED Creative City Lab is part of the broader 2021-2026 SEED Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grant and administered by Dramatic Results, a non-profit educational arts agency. Dr. Bernal serves as one of the Co-Primary Investigators of the SEED project, along with Dr. Bill Straits from CSULB’s Science Education Program. This ongoing collaboration between the Long Beach Public Library, CSULB, and Dramatic Results highlights the power of community partnerships to foster creativity, innovation, and positive change in our young students.
