When Sky Perley, the leader of Wolastoq Education Initiative, approached us to ask if we could design a building for their growing educational programs, we answered yes we could - but we would be far more interested in teaching the youth how to design their own building. The design process of the WEI Education Building set out to do much more than create a building—it aimed to empower youth to lead, imagine, and shape a space that reflects their identities, values, and ideas. In partnership with WEI, OSO co-led a paid summer design course where nine Indigenous youth learned skills in community engagement, mapping + site analysis, and architectural design. Through this process, they guided every step of the design process, from research and site selection, to defining the program and building design.

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Rooted in cultural identity and lived experience, the project responded to a pressing need for educational spaces that are decolonized, inclusive, and community-driven. The youth engaged their peers and community through interviews, surveys, chalkboard walls, and a BBQ, ensuring the design was shaped by collective input. The final concept includes flexible classrooms, community cultural spaces, makerspaces for learning and entrepreneurship, a library, a gallery, recording studios, and outdoor learning areas. All spaces are designed for creativity, technology, and connection to land. This project stands as a powerful example of youth-led design by showing what’s possible when young people are trusted to lead with vision and purpose.