What does it mean to design for the common good?
In the upper school New Civic class, students explored this question through a hands-on project called Designing for Impact. The result: handmade ceramic bead bracelets that show how small actions can create meaningful change.
A Partnership with Purpose
The class partnered with WeRis(H)er, a social enterprise founded in 2022 by Kierra “Kiki” Peterson (Watershed alum ‘13) and Molly Kabwarmi. The organization provides reusable sanitary pads to communities in Uganda while expanding education and economic opportunities for women. They focus on menstrual health access so girls can stay in school and women can remain in the workplace, while creating job pathways by teaching women how to produce the reusable products themselves.
Students were tasked with pitching their projects from production, marketing, and sales to the organization, while being guided by the central question: How might we design a bracelet and campaign that tells the WeRis(H)er story and inspires people to support it?
Starting with Empathy
Students began by building empathy maps to better understand both their audience and the communities impacted by WeRis(H)er. This ensured their designs were rooted in real experiences, not assumptions.
Kiki and Molly recognized this mindset in their thank you note to the class, writing that students “saw a need, and instead of waiting for someone else to act, [they] stepped forward.”
From Ideas to Intentional Design
As a class, students identified a few key priorities:
Values: dignity, craftsmanship, connection, impact
Constraints: ceramic, wearable, meaningful
Goals: awareness, sales, community
They then sketched bracelet designs, thinking carefully about color, pattern, and symbolism, often using beads to represent themes like growth, journey, and connection.
Building the Campaign
Students also developed campaign ideas, focusing on: a clear message, visual storytelling, and strong calls to action. The aim was to create not just a product, but a story people would want to be part of.
The bracelets are crafted with leather cord and handmade ceramic beads in off-white, light red, and blue.
Crafting Change by Hand
Working in the ceramic studio, students created over 300 beads and assembled 100 bracelets. These are now sold around campus for $10, with a QR code linking to more information about WeRis(H)er.
Reflecting on the final product, Kiki and Molly shared that “each bracelet…carries hope, dignity, and opportunity for someone else,” highlighting the deeper meaning behind every piece.
At its core, this project is about impact that grows over time. As Kiki and Molly reminded students, “what you have done is not small. It is powerful. It is inspiring...a living, breathing example of compassion, creativity, and courage in action.”
Through this work, students moved beyond learning about civic engagement- - they practiced it. In doing so, they embodied what the cofounders celebrated in their note: a group of “thinkers, makers, dreamers, and doers”. We are so proud of what this class accomplished. Swing by Watershed’s front desk to get your bracelet and join the movement!
