How we trained 50 secondary school students in design and web development — and sparked a new generation of digital creators.

Glorious Light Academy is a forward-thinking secondary school in Osun committed to raising well-rounded students who are prepared for the modern world. Beyond core academics, the school actively invests in extracurricular skill-building and technology exposure for its students.

Recognising that digital literacy is no longer optional, the school's leadership sought a partner who could deliver practical, industry-relevant training — not just theory from a textbook, but real skills from real practitioners. They needed someone who could take complete beginners and leave them confident enough to build something real in just a few days.

We brought the studio to the classroom.

• Most students had never opened a design tool. The curriculum needed to start from absolute zero without being patronising or slow.
• The programme had to fit within the school's academic calendar — meaning everything from Canva to HTML had to land in three intensive days.
• 50 students ranging from tech-curious to completely new to computers — the training had to be flexible enough to keep everyone engaged at every level.
• A one-off workshop that students forget in a week is a waste. The school wanted an experience that would genuinely change how students see their own career possibilities.

We kicked off with the fundamentals — what design actually is, why it matters, and how it shapes everything from the apps on their phones to the billboards on their commute. Students got hands-on with Canva, creating their first real design projects: social media posters, event flyers, and personal brand logos.

• Visual design principles: colour, typography, layout, and hierarchy
• Hands-on Canva workshop with guided project exercises
• Introduction to UI/UX concepts using everyday app examples
• Each student designed and exported a personal poster

Day two was where things got technical. We introduced HTML and CSS from scratch — what a browser actually does, how websites are structured, and how to write your first lines of code. By the end of the session, every student had built a basic personal webpage with their name, bio, and styled content.

• How the internet and websites work — demystified for beginners
• HTML fundamentals: headings, paragraphs, images, and links
• CSS basics: colours, fonts, spacing, and simple layouts
• Each student built and previewed a personal webpage

The final day was all about applying what they'd learned. Students worked in small teams to combine design and code into mini-projects — personal portfolio pages, fictional brand landing pages, and school event websites. The day closed with project presentations in front of their peers and teachers.

• Team-based project building with mentorship from 1204 Studios
• Design-to-code workflow: from Canva mockup to HTML page
• Presentation and public speaking coaching
• Certificate of completion for all 50 participants

We didn't just show up and leave. We developed a custom curriculum guide and resource pack that the school can reuse and build on for future cohorts — including exercise files, cheat sheets, and a curated list of free learning platforms for students who want to keep going.

• Custom training curriculum document for the school
• HTML/CSS cheat sheets and reference cards
• Curated list of free online learning resources
• Post-training follow-up guide for teachers

What started as a training workshop ended as something much bigger. Students who had never written a line of code walked out having built their own web pages. Students who thought 'design' meant Microsoft Word discovered an entirely new creative vocabulary.

We also worked a project to design and print the billboard banner right in front of the school — exposing students to a real-life use case of design from concept to finished product, and giving them a genuine sense of pride in what they'd helped create.

• 50 students completed the full three-day training programme
• 12 team projects built and presented on the final day — portfolio sites, fictional brand pages, and school event websites
• 100% of participants successfully built and previewed at least one personal webpage
• Reusable curriculum pack delivered — the school can run future cohorts independently without starting from scratch