he primary aim of implementing the "Design for Change" project was to upskill adult educators, social change actors, policy stakeholders, and other relevant individuals involved in fostering social change. We sought to integrate Design Thinking (DT) principles into their approach for identifying and addressing community issues, exploring solutions, & implementing projects. So, our objectives were to -Upskill our target groups, partners, & associate partners in creating social change benefits by using DT principles -Develop resources that strengthen the position of community change-makers & civil society, thereby empowering them to effectively tackle key community issues. -Apply DT to Human Rights and Social Inclusion as a powerful mechanism for deeper engagement from local /regional level via our Learning Centres through to EU Policy Makers at European Parament and Council of Europe. -Create a synergy through learning centres by mixing adult educators, local authorities, NGOs changemakers, university, entrepreneurs, 6 experts to think together on local challenges. Combine our target groups and give space to adults to learn more and to be active in social life and to promote the power of social design thinking contest to society.
Design for Change partners were motivated to address the gap they experienced for adult education/ community-driven interventions in development projects. Simply including communities in planning is insufficient for success. This insight was based on a study by Brown and Mickelson, which highlighted that community engagement often fails to capture the heterogeneous nature and complete needs of communities who need deeper, more intensive community engagement for effective interventions. The key need was that top-down solutions often do not align well with the actual needs and conditions of communities. This can be particularly acute where disadvantage is prevalent and persistent. Thus, Design for Change sought to involve adult educators, NGOs, and activists in a more equitable and innovative problem-solving process, using Design Thinking for Social Change. With this foundation, real issues at local, regional and even EU level could be addressed with new tools focused on empathising with communities, understanding and defining priority problems, ideating inclusive solutions, prototyping to overcome barriers, and testing these solutions.