design + social innovation …. looking for project partners

Dear _____
As I know you are people working with the challenges of design education I have decided to approach you with a project proposal that I think might catch your interest.

I am in my last year at the Kaospilot, a creative business school with a lot of enfasis in social entrepreneurship. After a fantastic 3 yr ride I am working on my final (or as I see it “begining”) project.

With a background in Design, Education and Technology (visit www.pataleta.net to see more about me); the places I have been to, the people I have worked with, the realities I have tried to understand and learn from. I find myself with a great interest in investigating the intersection between social innovation and design.

On the one hand I see the design profession having developed an important practical approach in relation to prototype development, dealing with alternatives, solution finding, sense making etc. And these are portrait a relevant way of thinking when talking about social change.

This leads me to think that the design profession can play a very prominent role in the building of our future. However, when I look at what design education is based on (and I might be outdated, but this is my perception) I see that it is mainly geared towards answering the needs of an industrial society: Design products or services, promote consumption… but what is the future of design when not working towards an industrial society? What does design do in a knowledge society? What is the responsibility of design in the building of a better world? And from this question, the one that I really feel passion for:
Can we, or should we change something in design education to promote the intersection between design and social innovation?

I am looking for project partners, people that could be interested in the same topics, and that would like to play a role in this project.

My plan is to engage in an open research adventure, I have an overview of interesting things going on in the world in this regards, but I would like to deepen and gather that knowledge. The idea is to create a simple online platform for publishing interviews in the form of vod/podcasts. I want to interview people working with these topics, hear their challenges, their best practices, their motivation, their dreams, their burning questions, their inspiration… and with this information develop a an educational module, to be tested of as a pilot with a group of design students.

The time frame for the project up to the pilot is from now until the end of april.

Are you, or do you know anybody who could be interested in playing and working with meon this project?
Send me your comments, your questions, concerns and smiles, that takes me one step further in the process.

Download a short presentation of the idea.

Thank you.

Filed under beginning project, chachara, kaospilot |