We create programs and workshops for youth ages 5 to 17. These activities introduce youth to architectural ideas while encouraging them to question traditional definitions of architecture. With subjects like environmental challenges and social changes, these activities help participants develop critical thinking towards our built environment while also providing tools for youth to build their confidence, develop collaboration skills, and stimulate a passion for learning and questioning.

All our workshops are 90 minutes long (unless otherwise stated) and include an introduction to our exhibitions, in French or English. They have been created with the Quebec Education Program (QEP) in mind. We can welcome up to 30 participants per group.

Each workshop costs $150 per group.

Fees can be waived under some conditions. To know more about the eligibility of your group to our program Diverse Pasts and Near Futures, please write to us at public@cca.qc.ca or call us at +1 514 939 7001 (1360).

For a tour of our building, our exhibitions or our sculpture garden, please contact us at public@cca.qc.ca.

Playing with Rules—until 25 May (Grades 1–3; Secondary I–II)

Designed around the current exhibition, To Build Law and the architectural practice of bplus, this workshop invites participants to question the rules that shape our built environment and become agents of change for building laws that reflect their own needs. Book this workshop here.

What Makes a Landscape? (All grades, Primary, and Secondary)

Explore the idea and components of a landscape in connection with our exhibition Reading Landscapes. Through observation, drawing, and collaborative work, participants will discover that designed landscapes are the result of a series of activities, not only human, but also animal and plant, forming an ecosystem that influences and transforms it. Book this workshop here.

The ABCs of Architecture (Grades 1–2)

This workshop introduces children to basic architectural concepts of shape, volume, material, space, and occupation. The program stimulates analytical skills, storytelling, collaborative work, and gives children tools to explore basic concepts of geometry. Children experiment with three-dimensional construction and participate in a series of building activities that develop fine motor skills and design thinking. Book this workshop here.

To Live Differently (Grades 3–6)

What stories of extraction, refinery, and production are embedded into every home we build? Through mind-mapping, tactile exploration, and model-making, this program demonstrates how a building is a product of its materials and environment. To imagine how to build differently in the face of climate change, children are challenged to explore alternative materials and propose new and environmentally conscious ways of living. Book this workshop here.

Disco, tomorrow? (Secondary I–V)

Starting from the innovative and radical ideas of 1960s Italian architecture collectives, who imagined new kind of utopias and built discotheques, students will develop creative designs combining strange new uses—first individually through furniture, like a sofa that is also a water well, and then in groups to produce a disco. This can mix a dance floor and a drugstore, a bar and a vegetable farm, or even a DJ booth and a bank. Following our weird rules, they will draw and model a disco from floor to ceiling. Book this workshop here.

Each workshop can be accompanied by a tour. Please contact public@cca.qc.ca for more information or to book your visit.

Architecture challenge 2025—3 February to 4 April 2025
Through a participatory design contest offered to students in the CSSDM, where youth are invited to conceive a space or architectural project on a site near their school that can foster the diverse cultures and communities of their neighbourhoods. Whether ephemeral or longstanding, this contest allows students to explore design and gathering through a collaborative project.

Grown from the concrete: Hip Hop and Urban Space (Ages 12 to 17)
What stories of spaces and places are told through hip hop culture? How do the four pillars of hip hop relate to architecture? This workshop allows participants to discover the evolution and legacy of hip hop and urban space that was originated by Black and Latino communities through: listening to rap music, analyzing lyrics, and drawing maps in graffiti.

Reimagining Community Architecture: On-demand workshop (All ages) How can youth learn to imagine a new community space through speculative and creative explorations? How can history inform our decisions so that it can better respond to the needs and desires of the neighbourhood’s residents? Using the NCC and Little Burgundy as a case study, this workshop invites children to imagine an active and inclusive community space in their neighbourhood.

My Block (Ages 12 to 17)
The goal of this workshop is to debunk erroneous narratives about black communities and to develop more accurate understandings of their realities by listening to teenagers’ perspectives on their own neighbourhood experiences. The activity seeks to promote a greater sensitivity to important experiences derived from community living through mapping, writing, and artistic expression.

These 90-minute-long workshops are in collaboration with Vanessa Owusu-Piameng, Black Communities Programmer, CCA. Free programs under certain conditions. Please contact public@cca.qc.ca for more information.

2025 Summer Day Camp (Ages 7 to 10)
Upcoming programming—registration in March 2025. Keep an eye on our newsletter and our calendar.

Kids Days (during school breaks)
Come, play, and learn about architecture for a day at the CCA. Programs are offered at the end of the year holidays and spring break. Consult our calendar for more info.

For more information, please write to us at public@cca.qc.ca or call us at +1 514 939 7002 We are also open to collaborating with schools and community organizations for special projects.