Our Civic Programs

Learning from the past. Empowering the present. Building the future.

Builders of the Desert is a civic nonprofit advancing education, economic opportunity, cultural memory, and public storytelling across the Borderlands. We use history not as an endpoint, but as a living tool—one that strengthens civic identity, fuels entrepreneurship, and invites communities to actively participate in shaping the future.

Our work is organized across four core civic pillars, each delivering public-facing programs designed to serve students, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, institutions, and the community at large.

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Our Four Pillars

Each pillar contains a suite of programs that collectively serve thousands across the region.

Education & Public Learning

Transforming Borderlands history into shared, accessible learning.

Active Programs (10):

  • Borderlands Curriculum Initiative

  • Youth Civic Historians Program

  • Educator Training & Support

  • Walking Tours as Fieldwork

  • Creative Civic Campaigns

  • Culture Keepers Fellowship

  • The Borderlands Debate & Civic Forum

  • The Ancestry & Identity Project

  • The Borderlands Teacher Collaborative

  • Custom Curriculum Requests

Who We Serve:
Students, educators, schools, families, and lifelong learners across the region.

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Entrepreneurship & Civic Leadership

Turning culture, place, and history into economic opportunity.

Active Programs (10):

  • Legacy to Launch

  • Elevate Enterprise

  • The Builder’s Circle

  • History × Business Poster Series

  • Youth Entrepreneur Lab

  • Legacy Internship Program

  • Borderlands Brand School

  • El Paso Startup Cemetery (archive + cautionary case studies)

  • The Builders’ Archive (business & founder stories)

  • Small-Scale Micro-Grant & Pitch Showcases

Who We Serve:
Creative entrepreneurs, small business owners, youth founders, and community leaders—especially those historically excluded from traditional ecosystems.

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Heritage Archives & Museum

Preserving El Paso’s collective memory and building a public-access legacy.

Programs (12):

  • Builders of the Desert Digital Archive

  • Community Memory Collection Program

  • Oral Histories of the Borderlands

  • The Digital Memory Wall (already active)

  • Lost Names & Overlooked Histories Initiative

  • Mobile Museum Installations

  • Walking History Tours (shared with Education)

  • The Builders Documentary Archive

  • Heritage Preservation Workshops

  • Youth Archive Fellows Program

  • Institutional Partnerships & Research Access

  • Heritage Exhibitions & Pop-Ups

Long-Term Goals:

  • 500+ oral histories

  • 5,000+ preserved items

  • $6–10M capital campaign

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Arts, Media & Cultural Expression

Translating history into shared cultural experience.

Programs (14):

  • Builders of the Desert Documentary Series
  • Builders of the Desert Podcast
  • Storytelling Lab & Fellowship
  • Public Art & Mural Initiative
  • Youth Media & Film Training Program
  • Legacy Through the Lens Archive
  • Annual Borderlands Cultural Showcase
  • Civic Film Series
  • Digital Story Installations
  • Borderlands Visual Essay Series
  • Artist-in-Residence (Archive-Based)
  • Sound of El Paso Project
  • Art & Memory Exhibitions
  • History as Performance Series
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 Special Events & Community Programs

Bridging legacy and communitty.

Programs (3):

  • Builders of the Desert Heritage Awards

  • Community Poster Unveilings

  • Annual Borderlands Heritage Festival

Impact:

  • 3,000–5,000 attendees (Year 1)

  • 8,000–10,000 attendees (Year 3)

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Administrative &  Operatinal Programs

Ensuring integrity, sustainability, and public trust.

Programs (5):

  • Volunteer Development Program (50–100 volunteers)

  • Student Careers & Internship Pathways (15–30 interns)

  • Donor Relations & Community Partnerships

  • Grants & Philanthropic Development

  • Financial Stewardship & Compliance

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Commitment to Access & Equity

We ensure every program remains accessible through:

  • Free or low-cost educational resources

  • Title I school partnerships

  • Bilingual programming (EN/ES)

  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

  • WCAG 2.1 AA digital accessibility

  • Open enrollment with no discrimination

Public Impact; “By the Numbers”

Direct Beneficiaries (Year 1)

  • 10,000–15,000 students

  • 150–200 educators

  • 40–60 entrepreneurs

  • 50+ oral history participants

  • 50–100 volunteers

  • 15–30 interns

  • 7–10 award honorees

Annual Reach

  • 500,000+ digital impressions

  • 50,000–100,000 documentary viewers

  • 5,000+ podcast listeners

  • 10,000+ digital archive users

  • 50,000+ book readers

Get Involved

For Educators

Access free curriculum, training, and experiential learning opportunities.

For Entrepreneurs

Launch or grow your heritage-based business through specialized workshops and mentorship.

For Community Members

Volunteer, share your family’s story, donate artifacts, or attend events.

For Supporters

Your contribution funds scholarships, preservation, and community programming.

Learn More

Phone

(915) 226-4593

Builders of the Desert

Email

Admin@Builderofthedesert.org