GROWING AND CONNECTING DESIGN LEADERS

The Building Hero Project

The Building Hero Project is a community design leadership initiative for youth and adults to be designers, builders, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and catalysts in their communities. Specifically, the Building Hero Training is a free program in which participants gain hands-on experience with digital and wood fabrication while learning valuable life-long design, building, prototyping, creative problem-solving, advocacy, storytelling, collaboration, and leadership skills. Class size ranges from 10-12 people per cohort. The Training is typically offered 2 times per year (spring and fall). New for summer 2025 we are launching the Building Hero Training Program Intensive (more details below).

For spring and fall sessions, participants attend two 2.5-hour sessions per week, with optional extra practice and building time during Tiny WPA’s normal business hours. For the summer session, participants attend four 6-hour sessions (with a break for lunch) per week. Fundamentally different from other design-education initiatives, the Training is action-oriented and product-driven with a focus on using design to solve every day needs in people’s lives. The Heroes-In-Training collaboratively learn to create a range of existing Building Heroes products such as a bench and coat tree, and, through design, discover how to hone and leverage their unique strengths to lead others. Each product acts as a specific lesson for participants to gain experience with a particular tool or fabrication technique.

After completing the Training, new Building Heroes gain free access to Tiny WPA’s workshop (during business hours) plus assistance in realizing their own projects. Heroes also become eligible for paid positions as full or part time Fabricators and Designers, assisting with Tiny WPA’s community projects as well as working on Hero Fabrication, custom contract design and fabrication services. Beyond these opportunities at Tiny WPA, Building Heroes independently initiate improvements in their schools and communities; help other organizations with their design/fabrication needs; and/or start their own businesses. Past Heroes have also used their new skills to start and run maker spaces at their high schools. Others leveraged their experience to attain admission into top design and architecture schools on full or partial scholarship: in these cases, Heroes end up helping run their university’s maker spaces and labs, formally teaching their fellow students how to use everything from a laser cutter to a table saw.

Have questions? Check out our Building Hero Training Program FAQs.

Apply now! Application closes June 29

Details for the Summer 2025 Building Hero Intensive:

The Summer 2025 Building Hero Intensive is a special 2-week version of our usual Building Hero Training Program. (Don't worry—the fall and spring sessions will still be 8 weeks long!)
We’ll meet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (yep, we’re taking Wednesdays off!) from 9 AM – 3 PM, running July 21 to August 2. Saturday, August 2nd will be our community build, time TBD.
You’ll need to be there for every session—it’s a hands-on program where each session builds on the last.
All sessions happen at Tiny WPA’s community workshop:
3145 W Jefferson St in Brewerytown (inside the Poth Brewery Building).
Open to anyone 14 and older.
It’s totally free to join!
(We do ask adults to make a $100 deposit—you’ll get it back when you complete the program.)
Spots are limited! We’re only accepting 10–12 participants for this session, so don’t wait to apply.
This is an awesome chance to dive into hands-on building, learn new skills, and create things you’ll be proud of. It takes real commitment—but it’s absolutely worth it!
No experience necessary. We've had every age and ability participate: from all-star grandmas to full-fledged designers.

Pending funding, we’re planning to return to our regular 8-week training program in Fall 2025. The tentative dates are Tuesday, September 30 through Tuesday, December 2—stay tuned for updates!