Designathon Works

Designathon method is a unique design thinking methodology for children to empower and unleash their creativity to design a better world using new technologies. By investing in training for our partners and developing an e-learning application we can scale the method and reach disadvantaged children in five countries.

In this very fast changing future, knowledge and facts remain key, cultivating technological literacy and creativity is a must. This can be done through our extensively piloted designathon method (from the Netherlands to Uganda, from Bangladesh to Croatia with children from various backgrounds). By investing in:

1. training new local chapters from low socio-economic backgrounds for a discount training fee but with the agreement to commit to reaching a specific number of disadvantaged children

2. the development of the e-designathon version and the further development of partner with already existing networks, ex. KioKit.

We will scale and reach our target groups.  

• Currently we have results from evaluations and small focus groups with participants of designathon events, attesting to the empowering nature of the experience, and the skills learned with technologies (ex. microbit).

• We have published and presented a position paper  at IDC 2017, Stanford University called
  Co-design with children on societal challenges reveals their empathy and radical innovations. This process will move forward in collaboration with a.o. the chair of education at the University of applied sciences in Amsterdam.

• Emer Beamer (founder) is Ashoka Fellow and a Re-imagining Learning network Fellow, selected by the LEGO Foundation and Ashoka

Our type of education is very much innovative as opposed to rote learning or knowledge transfer. By offering in-school programs (on- or offline) and designathon events we aim to reach 1 million children all around the world by 2023.

• Children (7- 12 years, mixed backgrounds) will gain lifelong skills needed in the rapidly changing and complex technological world and grow in their creative confidence.

• Teachers from primary schools and educational professionals gain self-confidence, knowledge and skills on technology through designathons.

• Company and organizations with a social mission are inspired by the insights of children regarding their field of work.

- track participants through user data via e-learning application

-No of ideas/solutions generated by children in offline workshops - reaching 50.000 children with the designation methodology by 2020

-track teachers through:

user data via the e-learning application

-f2f or online teachertrainings - 5.500 designathon-trained educators worldwide

-No of events organized

-No of ideas/solutions generated by children in offline workshops - 80 designathon events with organizations and children

Our method combines four principles, novel in their combination, into one unique educational method:

- Design thinking

- Child’s unique creativity and natural empathy

- Technology

- Real-world problems

Most educational programs focus on one principle. Combining all makes learning and the position of children and their ideas stronger.

Our methodology is based on design thinking and therefore inherently human centric. The methodology is developed to be informed by context and specifically teaches technology as a way to solve human and environmental problems. Not technological driven, but human problems driven. Since necessity is the mother of all inventions, the inventions of the children will be different in each country, city or specific situation. Needless to say that during the design of this methodology it was repeatedly tested and  improved with user (children) feedback, which is a blueprint for the process of the newly designed e-designathon version.

During the pilots of  the Designathon methodology, we gained insights:

- the design of the methodology ensures that all children no matter their backgrounds, disabilities etc., can take part in a designathon.

- the training of local partners for a discount, accompanied with a target reaching a specific number of disadvantaged children ensures affordability for teachers and accessibility for children.

- the development of the e-designathon version will make it easier to reach disadvantaged children in Kenya, Tunisia, Netherlands, India and Brazil. Especially because we are tapping into already existing networks of our local partners (BRCK/ KioKit, NDI, Medina Works, Warchild etc.)

Earned revenue

• Training for the teachers and educational institutions that purchase our method. This is accompanied by sales of user licenses and Maker Kits.

• Tailor made designathons for companies and organizations. Accompanied by sales of user licenses and Maker Kits.

Grants / sponsorship

• Companies and organizations support us with their sponsorship and grants for the development of the method, theme’s, trainings, e-learning platform and workshops for developing countries.

• The source of income for the Global Children’s Designathon (GCD) consists entirely of grants and sponsorships.

By expanding our offering with an e-learning supported designathon process we will reach scale sooner and therefore our financial model will change. By 2020 we will have shifted from being fully dependent on sponsorships, grants and subsidies to having a healthy mix of licenses, sponsorships, training and occasional grants and subsidies.

-Finding the right partners & growth of active city chapters:

Funding would be invested in finding the right partners for developing the e-learning supported designathon process, the right networks to scale, online training and online tutorials.

-Spreading awareness of importance to engage with children:

We need to invest in sharing storytelling. We must show the stories, interviews and examples of collaborations between children and organizations around the world.

-Impact on education system:

Real impact on the education system, means becoming part of the primary school educational system. Funding would help us to develop adoptable e-school curriculum for global implementation.

https://www.facebook.com/designathons/

https://twitter.com/Designathons

https://www.instagram.com/designathons/

The world in which children will live will be quite different from that of today which calls for augmented sets of skills and attitudes alongside the focus of current educational systems. While knowledge and facts remain key, cultivating technological literacy and creativity is a must. We believe that by connecting minds we can create this future of education. Since we are a network organisation working with like minded partners across the globe, the Solve community will be great platform to meet more people and organisations to collaborate with and to exchange knowledge on how to tackle this big issue.

Ashoka, Lego Foundation, Expo 2020 Dubai, Patatgonia, Yoxi, Bugaboo, City of Amsterdam, Waternet, Art of Impact, THNK, Butterfly Works, Nuvem Criativa Brazil, IMDA Singapore, Science Center Singapore, Nairobi Design Institute, Mark Kamau @ BRCK Kenya, Active Value Germany, Medina Works Tunis, Frog Design Milan, other city hosts across the world.

Project City X, Design for Change,The Imagination Foundation, CoderDojo