AIGA is a volunteer-run non-profit that brings together leaders and supporters to amplify the voice of design through defining global measures, ethical methods, and design education.
At the end of June, AIGA Los Angeles announced a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District's Career Technical Education Arts, Media & Entertainment (AME) program.
The partnership formed as a means to work with upcoming designers as a supportive and interactive resource for teachers and the implementation of programs as well as their students. Together, they'll provide hands-on learning and workshops that will showcase design practices and applications.
Because AIGA LA has been intensely focused on becoming an organization committed to addressing the diversity and inclusion issues in design, this partnership will help ensure that the industry is open to all individuals, communities, and voices.
On the Los Angeles AIGA website, Gabriela Rosillo, CTE Graphic Design Teacher & Academy Coordinator, Academy of Art and Technology, shared, "I have seen a change in students who take the initiative to participate in hands-on career opportunities, offered through the academy and district. In particular, I am reminded of one of my current juniors, an immigrant student who entered our school pathway and joined the LAUSD internship. She has become not only a model student in the classroom but has developed stronger agency and self-identity through her experiences."
This outreach engagement is just the beginning of the change the design world needs, and by starting in public schools, the group casts a wide net and ensures that the industry includes all voices. Of course, addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) that impact people in our community isn't an easy feat. Still, these steps initiated by AIGA LA and theLos Angeles Unified School District's Career Technical Education are significant.