DALTON, GA.—Recognizing the importance of education, Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett company, Suzanne Tick Inc. and Antron Carpet Fiber, have teamed up to support the Publicolor Summer Design Studio. The Summer Design Studio is an innovative work-study program that utilizes a non-traditional curriculum emphasizing tactile learning experiences. The combination of project-based learning, community service and paid work opportunities provide a compilation of meaningful summer activities for youth who otherwise would be idle when the school year ends in June.
The Tandus Centiva, Suzanne Tick Inc., and Antron Carpet Fiber collections contribute up to $0.30 cents per square yard to the Publicolor Summer Design Studio. The contribution is a match among partners based on product sales into education environments.
In 2014, $104,611.50 was donated to the Summer Design Studio, helping to prevent summer learning loss for 71 disconnected youth by uniquely teaching math and literacy through product design.
Students Exposed to College Campus Life
“It is amazing to see how much transformation can take place over the course of just seven weeks,” says Erin Istanbulluoglu, Director of Environmental and Social Stewardship, Tandus Centiva. “Not only is Publicolor preventing summer slip-back, it is exposing these students to life on a college campus and helping them start the next year further ahead. Each student has a design project that they work on for the duration of the program and at the end, they participate in a critique by a jury of esteemed design professionals. The skills and experience they are gaining is invaluable. We are proud to be able to support what they are doing.”
A few highlights from this summer’s program include:
• Summer Design Studio (SDS) students had a 93 percent daily attendance rate.
• SAT students improved their combined diagnostic scores by an average combined score of literacy plus math of 18 percent or 76 points.
• Ninety-six percent of students reported that they believe SDS improved their reading and math skills.
• Students transformed nine under-resourced community facilities in the afternoons.
Using GoPro cameras provided by Antron Carpet Fiber, SDS students participated in a video project with Tandus Centiva and had a unique opportunity to provide a glimpse into the Summer Design Studio program.
