Impact! Design for Social Change is filling up fast!

 It's time again for Impact! Design for Social Change being offered this summer at the School of Visual Arts in NY. As I have mentioned in the past, this intensive program was an amazing and life changing experience for me. I highly recommend it regardless of your profession. A few spots are still available but not for long. If you are interested in finding out more about the program and submitting an application, visit http://impact.sva.edu/

You can also learn more about the classes, lectures and guest speakers from last year by reading previous posts on my blog (July-August).

charity: water

While I was in NY over the summer attending SVA for the Impact! Design for Social Change program, we had the amazing opportunity to visit the charity:water offices. Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water, told us the story of how this organization got started and why. I was both shocked and amazed when I learned about how scarce water is in several parts of the world and the extent to which it affects people's lives. Amazed by the efforts and results charity:water has made.

Basically 1 out of 8 people do not have clean and safe drinking water. This means that they are exposed to all types of diseases that can eventually lead to death. Imagine if you were one of those 8!

Scott and his team do a much better job of explaining the urgent need for water as well as show you the impact that having water has on the people who need it the most. Check out the videos and information throughout the charity:water site.

charity: water videos

In the meantime, a big birthday is coming up for me and I could not think of a better way to celebrate it than by helping others. I really have no need for gifts, especially if I end up moving, (more stuff to pack) except for maybe a "happy birthday" and a donation to this cause.

So, I guess I am a little ambitious trying to raise 5,000 from the start, but that is what it takes to build a well for a village. Any donation is welcome. $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years! 

Start donating now! Not for me but for the one out of eight that don't have water.

Thanks for your contributions. 

Click here to donate http://mycharitywater.org/arangostudio

¡Sí Colaboro!

 

Project in progress

In Bogotá, Colombia as in many parts of the world, there are children begging on the streets. Many beg because they are being exploited or see it as the only solution to their economic problems. Out of pity or guilt, citizens give money to these children, aggravating the problem instead of helping. ¡Sí Colaboro! (I'll help) is a campaign that educates citizens on why they should not give money and offers a tangible alternative that offers immediate and long-term assistance by directing them to the ¡Sí Colaboro! non-profit resource center. The resource center serves as a link between existing organizations, the children and their families.

 

 

 

Challenge

A citizen often gives money to a street child out of a sense of guilt or empathy. How do you provide an alternative that meets the needs of both the children and the citizens desire to help? How do we make children and their families aware of the help that already exists and get them to take advantage of these resources?

 

 

Solution

Create a resource center for street children and their families that matches them up with existing service organizations. Have a mobilized team that reaches out to these children to bring information directly to them. Design a campaign for citizens encouraging them to give food with an informational sticker on it.

 

 

This project, as well as many others designed to improve people's lives, can be seen on the Design Ignites Change website. For more information on this project contact me at laura@arangostudio.com.

Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

I am trying to keep up with the posts while trying to read several books, attend classes, write elevator speeches and think about my Big Idea. It has been a challenge but here we go.

The Impact! Design for Social Change class visited the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum last week. The museum currently has their National Design Triennial on display. This year, the curators and collaborators decided to theme the exhibition and focus on the work of designers who are addressing human and environmental issues in the fields of architecture, fashion, furniture, etc. Cynthia Smith, one of the curators, showed us around the exhibit and gave us a brief explanation of some of the projects.

I was surprised to find that one of the projects on display included a map of Colombia highlighting Medellin and many of the new buildings that have been built in the past few years. There was also a model of the library and several photos showing the community making use of these public spaces. The buildings were built to address the problem of violence and lack of community in the poorest areas of Medellin. The schools, library, metro cable and other buildings have not only made education more accessible to many but they have also been beautifully designed and they create an environment that the people of Medellin can be proud of.

http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/project/medellin-colombia

  









Another project shown in this exhibition is this 88 unit affordable housing complex near Madrid, Spain. The Carabanchel Social Housing building opens up to a garden on one side and a public park on the other. The facade of the building is ever changing since it is made up of bamboo shutters that tenants can open or close as they please. 

The NYC Hoop Rack is an item that is on display and one that many of us have seen and will be seeing throughout NY. These minimalist designed bike racks are being installed around the city in order to encourage people to ride their bikes as a main form of transportation in urban areas. Not only do they provide security from having our bikes stolen but they look great too.


To see the rest of the designs on display, visit http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/

The Art of Possibility

Last week in our Fundraising class, we watched this inspiring and entertaining video of Benjamin Zander giving a lecture at a PopTech. Mr. Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philarmonic Orchestra and has also written a book with his wife Rosamund Zander called The Art of Possibility. In this video, he speaks about some of the points in his book, like giving everyone an "A" from the start. I read the book a few years ago and highly recommend it. The information in the book was very useful on a daily basis but also had great insight that was helpful when working in a sometimes limited environment such as a non-profit organization and helping see beyond those limitations.

PopTech : Popcasts : Benjamin Zander - PopTech 2008

Lecture with Milton Glaser

Last week we had the great privilege of attending a lecture by Milton Glaser. Those of you who do not know who he is, may recognize him as the designer of the "I (heart) New York" logo (below). He shared his experiences and his work related to the non-profit and or social fields (more examples below). It was a truly entertaining lecture and Q&A session and it was inspiring to see someone who has the ability to choose exactly the work he wants to do!

Recommended Reading for Big Idea

One of the classes we are taking is called the Big Idea with Bob McKinnon. The purpose of this class is to give us the opportunity to work as entrepeneurs in social change. Each one of us has to think of what it is that we want to change and why as well determine what the barriers will be and how to overcome them. The idea also needs to be sustainable.

These are some of the questions to consider:
What are we changing?
Who is doing the changing?
How will it work?

 

I will be honest, at this point I have several ideas but am having a hard time narrowing down the problem and thinking of ways to make it work. I am hoping that by the end of this week, my Big Idea will be clear.

In the meantime, Bob has recommended several books that so far I have found to be very informative and fun to read.


Here are some from the list:

Nudge, Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

Proust was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer

The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford