CONNECT
Connectivity through Community Asset-mapping.
CONNECT represents a horizontal, iterative process between me (an Iranian graphic designer and educator) and students/staff at Project YouthBuild, a Gainesville, Florida, branch of an AmeriCorps program devoted to high school degree completion and career training for youth forced out of public schools. Our project seeks to facilitate sustainable communication and collaboration between local East Gainesville community members and Project YouthBuild students whose campus is in East Gainesville.
Using co-design methods and involving Project YouthBuild students in every aspect of the design process, I’ve produced an interactive game and a map for PYB’s Community Asset Mapping process. CONNECT follows YouthLed Engagement and Asset-Based Community Development models. The question is, “what are the best ways to find a hidden wealth of knowledge in vulnerable communities and visualize them to make a social change?” Co-design workshops around conversational trust-building, radical mapping, and serious games have helped to find the answer. My emergent solution builds on horizontal problem-solving across multiple disciplines and areas of expertise, including PYB students’ expertise as youth actively engaged in their communities as students, volunteers, and everyday residents. CONNECT provides resources for PYB students as they establish reciprocal, respectful relationships within the larger community, particularly with elderly residents neighboring the PYB property.
Process
