A youth talent development program launched three years ago is expanding with a $300,000 grant from General Motors that will give Metro Detroit kids hands-on experience in design.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan will launch the new Design Industry Club in July.
“BGCSM’s goal when we launched the Industry Club in 2020 was to create a pipeline of talent to increase the workforce in metro Detroit, and we’re grateful for General Motors’ generous contribution to help us make this vision a reality,” said Shawn H. Wilson, president and CEO of BGCSM.
The grant was announced at BGCSM’s 2023 Automotive Golf Classic last week.
The new Design Industry Club will introduce youth to different ways design can be used in the workforce. The program will focus on elements of graphic design, illustration, animation, automotive design, interior design, and shoe and apparel design.
The club will also host field trips and masterclasses for more than 250 Detroit youth in the first year. Sixty students will be chosen to receive paid workforce opportunities in shoe and apparel design, automotive design and interior design.
“Inspiring creative minds at a young age fuels every industry,” said Michael Simcoe, senior vice president of Global Design at GM, in a statement. “On behalf of everyone at GM, we’re thrilled to grow our support to BGCSM through this new Design Industry Club. Our goal is to encourage Detroit youth to see themselves in a creative career, while providing them with real-world insight and experience.”
Design careers at GM include automotive designers, transportation designers, clay and digital sculptors who bring sketches to life via virtual technology tools, and industrial designers who create innovative solutions for EV charging systems big and small, said Renee Ketels, senior manager for GM Design Communications.
“We even have in-house talent that went to school to make video games using their visualization skills to introduce new technologies into GM,” Ketels told The Detroit News.
“In order to continue to be an industry leader, it is essential for GM to invest in the future pipeline of creative talent, and the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Michigan helps us to reach an important, local student base here in Detroit,” said Ketels.
Leaders at Design Core Detroit, which champions design-driven businesses from within College for Creative Studies, say design education is an important economic development tool.
“Research supports our belief that the strength of our economy is dependent on the ingenuity and innovation of design driven businesses across all major industries and sectors, like automotive, software development, tech, fashion, micro businesses, and more,” said Bonnie Fahoome, co-executive director of Design Core Detroit.
“In turn, those businesses are dependent on a diverse pool of talent, partners and vendors with creative problem-solving skills, in particular the practice of inclusive design. Design education in all forms and at all levels prepares a wide range of talent for these fulfilling careers,” she said.
BGCSM launched its industry club program in 2020 with a Fashion Industry Club. The nonprofit has expanded its list of clubs each year since then and now offers a total of six Industry Clubs: the Risk Management Industry Club, the Sports and Esports Industry Club, the Entertainment Industry Club, the Urban Planning Industry Club, the Fashion Industry Club, and the Technology Industry Club. GM previously provided funding for the Fashion Industry Club and the Urban Planning Industry Club.
The clubs provide paid workforce experience for young people and gives them the tools they need to become college, career and startup ready, BGCSM officials said.
The Design Industry Club is set to launch in July. Its first cohort of 18 students is already full.
Youth who are interested in future Design Industry Club opportunities can sign up for the waitlist to be notified of the next application period here.
