David Sherwin
@changeorder
Savannah College of Art and Design
May 9, 2013
We Have a Voice:
Investing in Local
Communities
by Sharing the
Power of Design

This is what Savannah-area teens
taught us when we asked them…

This is what Savannah-area teens
taught us when we asked them…
“What change do you want
to see in your community?”

Robynn Butler, SCAD
Eric Green, SCAD
Carol Lora, SCAD
Marina Petrova, SCAD
Katie Mansell, SCAD
Naz (Najmeh) Mirzaie, SCAD
Alexandra Pappalardo, SCAD
Nathan Sundberg, SCAD
42 students
at Beach, Groves, and Savannah High Schools
Larry "Gator" Rivers, Gatorball Academy / Menyet
Debra Hasan, Gatorball Academy/ Menyet
3 HS teachers
Ms. Wilson, Beach High School
Ms. Dawson, Groves High School
Ms. Reese, Savannah High School
8 grad students
3 instigators
Scott Boylston, SCAD Design for Sustainability
David Sherwin, frog
Erin Sanders, frog
2 NGO leaders

Savannah High

Groves
High

Beach High

“Are you serious,
it's our opinion,
it's what we want
to do?”

—Mr. Mohammed
“Kids… complain about the school system,
it is great to hear a solution for once!”

How did we get here?
What tools were they using?
How is this similar to other
community efforts globally?
What did the participants discover?
What impact has it had on their lives?

frog is a global innovation firm that designs and builds
new products, services and experiences for large, medium
and start-up organizations

Man had landed on the moon and
young people wanted to change the world;
we all wanted to make a difference.
I wanted to make people smile.
– Hartmut Esslinger, 1969

1
People think design is about
creating new uses for technology…
but it’s first about understanding
the needs of groups of people.

2
We build practical skills and
acquire knowledge by participating
in group problem-solving activities.

CHALLENGE
Understand the nature and value of
connection, and the digital connection
models of urban girls in Nairobi.

APPROACH
Train girls in local girl groups to be explorers.
Collaboratively plan and co-design solutions
for their needs.

1 2 3
tell stories imagine possibilities be heard
week 1 2 3 4
learn skills
FOUR WEEKS
explorer training

1
FOUNDATIONS
girl kick-off
2
FOCUS
connections
3
IDEATION
co-design
4
PROTOTYPE
evaluation
week
FOUR WEEKS
research objectives

“(When we learned to brainstorm), we realized the
ideas were in our head... we didn’t have to be told or
wait to read them in a book.”
-girl participant

“I’ve been so happy since starting this
program of exploring. I feel more confident
than the time that I came—I was too shy. Now
I’m meeting other girls. I am happy.”
-girl participant

3
Group problem solving is
empowering. It helps us
build stronger relationships
with people in our communities.

How can I do this in
my community?
How might we translate the
design process into something
centered on skill development and
knowledge-sharing for communities?

How can I do this in
my community?
How might we turn the creation
and communication of ideas into
a vehicle to teach inquiry, leadership
and problem solving to anyone,
from any culture?

frogdesign.com/cat

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action
“Clarify”
activity:
imagining
impact and
outcomes

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action
“Imagine”
activity:
creating a
spectrum
of ideas

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action

make
something real
imagine
new ideas
seek
new understanding
build
your team
clarify your
GOAL
plan
for action
“Make”
activity:
design
through
storytelling

—Nathan Sundberg, SCAD Graduate Student
“I think that this whole process has been illustrative
of the role that I see designers having in any process:
as an enabler of voices.
Everyone has a story and a point of view, but they don’t
always get a chance to communicate [it]. They don’t
always realize that their point of view is important.”

—SCAD CAT Pilot Participants
“Through this program, I actually get to talk and fit in.”
“It's not only school. Y'all help us with our home lives, too…
It's a time to vent, but also fun.”
“Within our school, we’re not heard, so to have a program
like this come and actually hear us out… and [let us]
have an opinion about things…”
“We have a voice.”

Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity

Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Play
Performance
Simulation
Multitasking
Distributed
Cognition
Collective
Intelligence
Judgment
Networking
Negotiation

Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Play
Performance
Simulation
Multitasking
Distributed
Cognition
Collective
Intelligence
Judgment
Networking
Negotiation
Community
On right: Selected skills listed from Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture by
Henry Jenkins with Ravi Purushotma, Margaret Weigel, Katie Clinton, and Alice J. Robison.

Finding and solving problems
Doing it collectively
Amplifying the dialogue
Making it a norm
Empowers people to lead

© 2013 frog. All rights reserved.
Say hello:
david.sherwin@frogdesign.com
davidsherwin.com
@changeorder
Download our free toolkit:
frogdesign.com/cat