Something BIG is happening in Chicago this July and it's something you should know about - it's called "Design Your World."

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recognized that inside the profession of interior design there's been a lack of diversity for, pretty much, its entire existence. So, to address this deficit, they dreamt up "Design Your World" - it's a high school pipeline program to expose the underrepresented to a career in design. And to help make the dream a reality, the IIDA teamed up with OFS.

IIDA and OFS (along with the support of After School Matters, Mannington Commerical, 3form, and Configura) are all thrilled to kick off this 6-week crash course in design.

So, today we're giving up the mic to IIDA's CEO, Cheryl Durst who will be interviewing the first-ever Design Your World instructor, the Chicago-based Architect and Interior Designer, Ciera Payton. Together, they will share their expectations, wishes, and the future vision of what Design Your World could really mean to this industry.

Watch the story behind Design Your World:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxaCUAulGK8

Read more about Design Your World:

https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place/elevating-equity-design

Connect with IIDA and the Design Your World program:

https://iida.org/

Learn more about the mission of After School Matters:

https://www.afterschoolmatters.org/

Connect with Cheryl Durst on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cheryldurst/

Connect with Doug Shapiro on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

For more Imagine a Place, please visit:

https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your

World.

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Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the

design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons.

The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the

places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.