Are you tired of gathering in the same stuffy, disconnected ways? Are you sick of ‘sages on stages’, panels and roundtable discussions that go nowhere? Do you seek new ways of working together - to connect, collaborate, align AND act? Are you open to experimenting with approaches that are more open, human, adaptive, creative AND joyful?
Whether you’re gathering to define or operationalize a strategy, host a retreat / event, create space for authentic connection and reflection, (re)design a service or programme offering or generate ideas, I’d love to hear about your journey and explore how we might work together.
As social impact facilitator and designer, I believe in designing with, never for. No engagement is the same as I work with each client to intentionally craft gatherings and spaces that allow them to assemble the right people, at the right time, and in the right headspace, in order to meet their goals - always rooted in purpose.
After an initial call to chat about your understanding of the challenge or opportunity, the wider context, who you intend to design with, what success looks like, assumptions and team bandwidth, we will work together to craft your gathering, or series of gatherings using creative and participatory methods. Gatherings may take place via video conference or in-person for discreet projects.
Most of the gatherings I have co-designed include some combination of these elements:
Collaborative Discovery Sessions // For groups to develop a shared understanding of something - whether a challenge, opportunity space, ‘node’ of intervention or something else. Map and reflect on current knowledge, living and lived experience to define a project north star, objectives, success metrics and scope. You will also align on project roles, ways of working and shared agreements for working together and holding each other accountable. Most engagements include deep work to surface power dynamics, biases, risky assumptions and unintended consequences that might impact project success. Once identified, we co-design creative experiments and strategies to build / shift power, address biases, test and validate assumptions and mitigate harms and unintended consequences.
Co-Design & Future Visioning Labs // Collaboratively define the core elements of a strategic plan, service, launch strategy or ways to operationalize a strategy. Engage your team, stakeholders and community throughout the process as you make space for relationships, build / shift power, alignment and catalyze action towards a shared goal.
Design Marathons // Unlike 'Design Sprints' which are encoded with Eurocentric biases and white supremacy culture, ‘Design Marathons’ create space for thoughtful and intentional collaboration, understanding that meaningful change takes time. Like sprints, marathons are time-bound processes assembling interdisciplinary teams to address complex challenges, iteratively developing and testing ideas and building on what’s already working well. Expanding upon the sprint model however, marathons integrate principles and methods of design justice, co-design, decoloniality, systems thinking, biomimicry, and trauma-informed design approaches, among others. The hypothesis is that marathons strengthen the design process and its outcomes by creating space for emergence, equity and relationship building. This is achieved by intentionally shifting power and designing with the people closest to and most impacted by the design process and its outcomes, thinking about challenges holistically and intersectionally, building on what’s already strong and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Depending on context, the duration of design marathons can vary. The rationale behind keeping them time-bound is to test ideas and create space for learning, thereby minimizing risks and conserving valuable time and resources.
Idea Forges // Using fun and play to engage in collective learning around a particular topic as a primer for intentional brainstorming. One of the most popular jam sessions I have run is called the Funding Model Jam - a collective exploration of possible funding models to create, deliver and capture value to help social sector organizations (both new and established) imagine creative ways to generate income, with an action plan for testing the viability and feasibility of ideas that are generated.
Relevant work // Catalyzing Investment in Gender Equality x Digital Connectivity / Funding Model Jam / Unlocking Access to Fair Housing / Co-designing a Distributed Ecosystem for Free(d) Money / Building Equitable Cities Through Inclusive Design / Investing in People-First Public Health Solutions / Economic Recovery in Pandemic-Hit Neighborhoods / Zero Waste Office / Creating Value From Waste / Support Refugee Entrepreneurs / Remote Learning in Afghanistan
As a designer and coach, I believe in sharing knowledge and tools with my community. This is for individuals, teams and organizations seeking to think, lead and act like a designer when tackling complex social and environmental challenges. Learn how to employ design mindsets (curiosity, creativity, compassion and collaboration) and methods (systems thinking, co-design and creative facilitation) as tools for problem solving.
Coaching looks different, and is tailored to the unique needs of each client. After an initial scoping call to understand current capacity, organizational culture and practices, as well as what’s been tried, we will work together to design a format, timing and frequency of sessions. Sessions usually take place via video conference or in-person for discreet projects.
This might look like:
Training // Work sessions and ongoing support aimed at developing in-house design capabilities. This process is grounded in the principles of decolonization, design justice, anti-oppression, and equity. Develop new ways to understand and make sense of complex systems. Learn how to de-risk projects, creatively test new ideas and identify innovative approaches in resource-constrained environments. Begin to effectively and authentically engage communities and stakeholders using participatory methods, and co-create equitable outcomes.
Coaching // Tailored coaching sessions to help you create and sustain the conditions to think, lead and act like a designer. I share tools (strategies, frameworks & resources) and knowledge (experience, expertise, connections) from my practice to inspire creativity, provoke thinking, provide guidance to help you advance a specific project / area of work or support organizational transformation.
Advising // This might involve being a thought partner, sounding board or reviewing work and responding to specific requests for feedback with strategic, practical or technical suggestions.
Relevant work // Unlocking Access to Fair Housing / Co-designing a Distributed Ecosystem for Free(d) Money / Building Equitable Cities Through Inclusive Design / Investing in People-First Public Health Solutions / Economic Recovery in Pandemic-Hit Neighborhoods / Zero Waste Office / Creating Value From Waste / Support Refugee Entrepreneurs / Remote Learning in Afghanistan