As the sunlight beamed through the windows of The View on March 2, the EDGE students got to work on their next big project, working with the Missouri Department of Conservation to create a third space.
These students spent time each day researching and developing a plan for what will become a third space. Third spaces aim to bring connection and a sense of community and belonging. This place is one that is open to all ages. The department is looking to get more engagement from 18-22 year olds because the building will be located by a college in Rural Harrison County. Students have come up with ideas like pottery and/ or art labs and outdoor spaces with nature.
“I’ve never really done a project like this before, especially, like, going and we did, like, a field trip to the place to discover, like, the need and, like, what materials we were already given. So I’m really happy to be able to pitch something, um, to actual people that need ideas and they, like, asked us for ideas. I thought that was really cool,” Torrence said.
The EDGE students were divided into groups of three with each of them being assigned a role of space designer, programming or marketing. They then pitched their ideas to the representatives who came to Liberty on March 9.
“I have always loved interior design and mapping out spaces especially with this we can research what furniture and layout would be best and how we can optimize an area to be comfortable,” sophomoreIsabella Torrence said.
Their budget was around $1,500 for the resources they needed for their intended space. The marketing team was responsible for pushing information out for their idea and reaching out to people, while the space designer was responsible for planning out the logistics and design The programmer set the intention for the space and made sure it followed its intended purpose.
According to the Shanker Institute, research shows third spaces help students foster positive associations towards school and academic responsibilities and help to build efficiency. Rather than doing the hands-on work, some of the seniors who are not in the global leadership class are serving as the mentor role. The students in EDGE have designated “flow time” to work, along with project sessions daily.
“You’re developing the skill of pitching, which is a big part of it, and so a lot of ideas revolve around art classes. We’re trying to stay away from study spaces because it’s right next to colleges down there, and that’s who they’re gonna be marketing to, but the college spaces already have a lot of study rooms,” senior Kate Ornealas said.
The reason for this new addition to KC is because of the department’s wish to involve more young adults in the community and give them a safe space outside of the duties of everyday life. In doing so, they brought in the help of the students which are the age they are targeting with this establishment.
The Department has a website to keep up with the latest dates and EDGE has a section on the high school’s homepage.
