Students Design Concepts for San Francisco’s Courage Museum

A group of students from the University of California, Davis, spent the summer helping imagine how young people might experience the nation’s first museum dedicated to preventing violence. Through a six-week internship, they designed concepts for the Courage Museum, where exhibits will encourage visitors to practice empathy, build courage and explore the role they can play in creating safer and more connected communities.

The Courage Museum, a project by the nonprofit Futures Without Violence, is under construction in San Francisco’s Presidio and expected to open next spring. It won’t be a traditional museum filled with historical artifacts. Instead, it will be an immersive learning center with interactive exhibits that translate scientific research on violence, trauma, resilience and healing into experiences designed primarily for high school and college students, along with their families and teachers.

“I think we need this museum now more than ever,” said Manuelito Biag, managing director of education for the Courage Museum. “I think we live in a time of increasing social division, so in order for us to really design an institution that is meant for young people, we have to have young people at the table, designing it with us.”

Working across disciplines

The internship brought together students from the Department of Human Ecology’s three undergraduate programs: human development and family studies, community and regional development, and landscape architecture and environmental design. Working in interdisciplinary teams, they developed proposals to support youth and educators before, during and after a museum visit.

Adrienne Nishina, professor and chair of the Department of Human Ecology, said the internship was designed to bring together students with different perspectives, giving them an opportunity to learn from one another while taking on a real-world project.

“Jobs of the future are going to be inherently interdisciplinary, so people are going to have to learn how to communicate with people who have different backgrounds or knowledge bases from them,” Nishina said. “I think these early experiences with teamwork and navigating differences to reach a shared goal require students to practice creativity, problem-solving, effective interpersonal communication, and critical thinking; all skills that will facilitate their success in whatever career they pursue.”

Turning inspiration into action

At a final showcase, the teams presented their projects to museum leaders and supporters. One group proposed the idea of holding a B.A.Y. Summit (short for bravery, advocacy and youth-led), a one-day leadership conference designed to help students stay connected to the museum after their initial visit and turn inspiration into action. Their vision includes team-building activities, changemaker panels and a collaborative community challenge, giving students a chance to practice the leadership skills the museum encourages.

“The hope is that we can see the community and youth impact and that it keeps people coming back,” said Jordyn Mines, a human development major. “We want this summit to create a mini community of changemakers, so that they can share their own stories.”

They even pictured themselves returning as mentors if the summit becomes part of the museum’s programming.

“I feel like all three of us would be okay with coming back to be a summit facilitator,” said Julissa Bautista, a landscape architecture major.

Keeping the conversation going

Another team focused on helping conversations continue after visitors leave the museum. They designed a colorful discussion guide with prompts for students to use with parents, relatives and friends. A take-home version includes a yellow, star-shaped magnet that serves as a reminder to keep listening, asking questions and talking together about the complex topics and themes featured in the museum.

“We wanted the magnet to be there for after the museum because it’s important to continue the courage and continue what you learned and to be reminded of it,” said Julila Catancio, a sustainable environmental design major.

Learning together

A third team created classroom resources for teachers, including activities to prepare high school students before their visit. They also proposed a guidebook for students that encourages them to reflect on their experience by creating a zine, a small, self-made booklet that combines writing and artwork.

“Not all students have exposure to talking about these difficult subjects, and being able to normalize that into the conversations is very important, especially getting that in a school setting,” said Yi-Xuan Chang, a community and regional development major.

During their research, the students interviewed local high schoolers. One question stood out: Could they imagine a future without violence? Many said no.

“When we would ask the students if they can imagine any possibility of there being no violence in the world, they couldn’t. I think it’s really important that we teach younger generations right now how to discuss and talk about what they’re feeling, rather than going to violence,” said Isabella Hernandez, who is majoring in both human development and philosophy.

From prototype to possibility

The museum’s next step is assessing how these ideas could potentially become part of future exhibits and programming.

“I thought the three teams did a great job,” Biag said. “The students created a good foundation for us to start with. In the future, I can definitely imagine the tools that they created living in the museum, living on the website and being available to families and educators, with continued opportunities for UC Davis students to help co-create them.”

For the students, the internship was more than a summer project. They practiced teamwork, public speaking and turning feedback into stronger solutions. Their contributions could have a lasting impact on the museum and inspire meaningful conversations for years to come.

“I have a lot of interest in family programming, so it was really cool to work on family education and youth development in a museum space,” said Savannah Anno, a recent human development graduate.

Check out this Instagram post to learn more about these students.