Design Thinking

Introducing Design Thinking to our refugee students was a first, and a prototype if you will. Design Thinking has been around for twenty-plus years; it is part of a good start-up practice and core to any social impact enterprise. We’ve gone through it as fellows and as founders. What would happen if we introduced such conceptual level of problem solving to students whose been educated in a curriculum that is based on rote memorization? Could we can shift the frame for them just enough so they can feel empowered to address issues in their own communities and design their unique solutions?

It was a struggle. We challenged them to stretch beyond their comfort zone, to move away from a generalist framework to narrow in on a manageable portion of a HUGE issue, going into the community and interviewing for insights is hard, coming up with an actionable solution that is within their grasp required assistance.

They persisted and they got there. They understood the power of Design Thinking. At the end of a rigorous three days, they see their communities and their surroundings with a new lens.