learning to create change, better

Design for Social Innovation MFA at the School of Visual Arts

[laurengdsi-blog]

This is the final version of our thesis video - a short, kickstarter-style video explaining the problem we are focusing on and what we plan to do.

Caroline recently posted about our first draft of our thesis video. Based on our feedback, we focused the framing of our problem and centralized our idea around the necessity for a shared space and the need for both sides of the problem - rich and poor - to be a part of our intervention.

Enjoy!

[laurengdsi-blog]

Review: “Three Miles” on This American Life

When thinking about the opportunity gap between rich and poor students, we see needs on either side of this divide. For poor students: How can we increase access to activities and mentors that are lacking? For rich students: How can we unveil the invisible aspects of privilege and leverage their access to lower barriers of entry to these opportunities for the other side? One idea we had was merging students from both groups in a collective effort in a space that equalizes power and privilege dynamics. Yet, we have many reservations about possible negative side effects of this.

The most recent episode of NPR’s podcast, This American Life, looks at a program in the Bronx that does just this and its repercussions. Episode 550: Three Miles first talks to two teachers - one from a wealthy private school and another from a public school in the country’s poorest congressional, only three miles apart. They decided to bring their classes together as pen-pals to connect kids from very different backgrounds. The story then focuses in on three students from the public school in the inaugural class and their reactions at first sight of the private school, as well as now 10 years later.

Melanie is the epitome of our greatest fears for this type of program. She broke down when she entered the private school, completely shaken by the differences between their resources and hers. She was an outstanding student who knew that this should have been her education experience and was completely aware of the unfairness of the whole situation. We in no way would want to put down students who have less than others or trigger anger at the privileged group. Maybe this shows the importance of a neutral territory for both groups, if we took on a program like this. As well as the need for easing into the situation before dropping them into a place where they feel like they don’t fit or belong.

The other two students are Jonathan and Raquel. They ended up going to college after high school, unlike Melanie. Jonathan got into a very rigorous scholarship program that Melanie was rejected from in the final round.

Both Jonathan and Raquel struggled when they first entered college. They didn’t have many people besides each other to talk about it with because their parents were foreign to this experience and they couldn’t relate as well to their new classmates. This divide created by the opportunity gap seems to put kids that try to bridge it and go to college in strange territory, trapped in the middle of these two groups. One possible intervention point could be targeting support for these students.

According to the podcast, less than 1 in 5 poor students who are able to go to college actually graduate. Jonathan was in the majority of this statistic, as well as many of his classmates. Much of this was due to the fact that he didn’t know how to use the resources available to him because he hadn’t had them in high school. The opportunity gap seems to also affects college preparedness and success. Even if you can get past high school, your chances are slim of taking full advantage of college because you are still behind.

Right now, we are mainly thinking about targeting middle or high school level children. But it would be important for us to take into account the long-term effects of this issue. If our measure point is just high school graduation or admission to college, then that is not enough. Maybe we could partner with organizations working more specifically on college readiness and completion to ensure that our impact could spread over the long-term.

Raquel and Jonathan had more positive experiences with the pen-pal program than Melanie. I think there are still many benefits from this type of collaboration, but we need to be prepared for all of the possible reactions.

[laurengdsi-blog]

Book Review: “Our Kids” (Part 1)

My classmate Caroline and I have settled on a thesis project together to address the opportunity gap in education across class divisions. We have collaboratively refined my second thesis nugget into this final nugget (on Caroline’s blog).

The book we are reading for our primary research is Robert Putnam’s Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. So far, here are the major insights that have stood out to us as possible places for intervention or further research:

1. Opportunity framework: Putnam uses the framework of the American Dream to capture what is lost for children of lower class families. We see a potential danger in this frame because it ignores the structural safety nets and programs in place that allow people to climb a ladder of opportunity, beyond just their own will and drive. What are some other critiques of the opportunity frame that we could explore to ensure a systemic view of this issue?

2. Support system gaps: The first chapter contrasts America 50 years ago from present day. Putnam argues that neighbors and community members used to serve as a type of safety net for children whose parents were not focused on college or continued education. Now, he says that parents have the main responsibility for a child’s awareness and focus on these goals. We are very interested in these support systems and an aspect where the diversity of these systems have diminished to reduce resilience when parents are left with the main responsibility for guiding their children’s education.

3. Perception gap: Over the last 50 years, Putnam also notes the increased segregation of towns and cities along class lines. “Rich and poor Americans are living, learning, and raising children in increasingly separate and unequal worlds, removing the stepping-stones to upward mobility,” (Putnam 41). He mentions that children from upper middle class families - including Caroline and I - are less likely to have firsthand knowledge of the lives of “poor” kids and unable to recognize their privilege. We are very interested in unveiling what privilege actually entails to show the stark differences between these two groups. What are some possible ways that we could highlight the invisible aspects of privilege in childhood education?

4. Lagging social mobility indicators: Social mobility indicators predominately used measure achievement when a person is in their 30s or 40s. This means that during the early years of major career and life decisions, we are unable to recognize the problem while it is happening.

5. Influence of economic systems: As America has been bouncing back from the Great Recession in 2008, the success of this revitalization seems to also be divided along the same class lines. To us, this period looks like a missed opportunity to equalize this opportunity gap while many people were facing similar stability struggles. Where were these missed opportunities and how might they inform possible areas for intervention now?

6. Availability of options: In Chapter two, Putnam compares the stories of Andrew and Kayla - two young people in Bend, Oregon. Andrew has led a comfortable life, with a stable, supportive family. Due to this background, he has a rather relaxed outlook on his life after high school, with many possible options on the table. Kayla, on the other hand, is very limited by her background, with a very unstable family life which has given her an outlook that the world is “unpredictable, intractable, and malign.” She has many stressors and difficulties in her life that prevent her from having the same exploratory period which Andrew is looking forward to. How can we give a space for all students to explore and understand all their options for the future before making life and career choices which may define their possibilities?

From here, we will keep taking note of Putnam’s research insights on which we could build a more defined project. We are also setting up meetings with our connections working in this broad field, and will be summarizing what we hear in future blog posts.

[laurengdsi-blog]

Thesis Nugget 3: Making resources more accessible for victims of sexual assault on college campuses

This post is a part of a series on possible ideas for my thesis project. They are only a first exploration into developing a functional thesis project.

Sexual assault on college campuses is a very hot issue in the news right now. It is very intriguing how different colleges deal with it differently, and many times how these cases do not even become legal cases, but remain on the within the college judiciaries. There have been many discussions about how survivors of assault can access the necessary resources when needed and whether or not colleges make them accessible.

One such idea floated in the article “Sorority Anti-Rape Idea: Drinking on Own Turf” is that hosting parties at sororities could be a way to mitigate the insecurities of the largely fraternity-dominated greek culture on campuses. Basically, a power shift in these vulnerable situations. It is an interesting idea, but only tackles a small part of the issue. Another solution in “A Bid for Guns on Campuses to Deter Rape” is just flat out bad. This article discusses proposed laws in 10 states to allow female students to carry guns on campuses to deter rape. These policies are misguided and a sign of the deep lack of understanding of this issues among legislators.

These two articles focus on deterrents to rape. A third one looks at what can be done after an instance - a very tricky issue because each victim and case is different and complicated. The article “App Links Sex Assault Survivors to Help, But Who Downloads It?” highlights a well-intentioned effort to fill the knowledge gap that many survivors or college students may have about the resources available to them after being sexually assaulted. However, this information is provided via a mobile app. This is an inappropriate use of technology in this context. It fails to address the questions: When should this information best be provided for it to be most useful? What is a manner of delivery that would create a safe, confidential, and empowering space for the user?

Is the community accessible?

Yes - through the SVA community, my alma mater at American University, or with any of the colleges in New York City. Many colleges, such as AU, have student groups or university offices focused on these issues that may be interested in partnership.

Is there more research to be done?

Yes. There has been a lot of talk on how to deter or prevent sexual assault, while the aftermath of such an instance is still messy and complicated. There are also misguided attempts, like the app, to address these issues which need to be corrected.

Can you imagine possible interventions?

Yes. A training included in student orientations. Communications strategies for a university office or student group working on sexual assault. Compiling best practices from several different universities to develop a scalable program.

[laurengdsi-blog]

Thesis Nugget 2: Closing the opportunity gap for children of low-income families in New York

This post is a part of a series on possible ideas for my thesis project. They are only a first exploration into developing a functional thesis project.

The opportunity gap is the the gap in childhood opportunities between poor and rich kids. These activities, such as having dinner with your family, having a mentor, participating in after school activities, set these children back. The article “The terrible loneliness of growing up poor in Robert Putnam’s America” describes Putnam’s newest thesis on how the disadvantages faced by children of poor decreases their likelihood of upward mobility - fueling the cycle of poverty. It affects their grades, education choices, and even community connections.

New York City has large populations of poor and rich children - separated by the schools they attend, but living only a few miles apart. Connecting these groups through activities that would close the opportunity gap could be beneficial to each child and help build a larger sense of community and understanding between them.

Is the community accessible?

Yes. I could partner with schools in New York that I have already had connections to - the LREI students in Manhattan and students in Brownsville that work with community organizations there.

Is there more research to be done?

Maybe. There is already a lot of research on the opportunity gap, but I am not sure how much is being explored about serving different socioeconomic groups at the same time. Putnam has written before about the decline of community in America - so this idea would be a bridge of his two theses and put them in the context of New York City.

Can you imagine possible interventions?

Yes. A peer mentorship program. A workshop or club where students from both communities work together on the same goal (i.e. creative activities, social innovation, technology jams).

[laurengdsi-blog]

Thesis Nugget 1: Building empathy for refugees from countries of conflict

This post is a part of a series on possible ideas for my thesis project. They are only a first exploration into developing a functional thesis project.

Americans have a role to play in far away conflicts, but feel disconnected to them. US foreign policy is not at the forefront of many Americans’ lives. Stories on what is happening in Gaza and Syria are commonplace and largely disregarded. How can we build bridges between westerners and those trapped in conflict situations to better inform our understanding of conflict and our demands on our politicians and government?

In the article “Virtual Games Try to Generate Real Empathy for Faraway Conflict,” Californian game creators mirror what life is like in Syria right now for a western audience. Storytelling devices like these can show the immediacy of need and challenges that Syrian citizens face. Simulation is a powerful way to put the audience in another’s shoes.

Another article, “The Great Divide,” explores the contradictions between the physical and online realities in these countries. Pakistan, for instance, is building walls around schools and homes to keep people out, mainly for security reasons. Yet, inside these confined spaces individuals are connecting to the entire world through the Internet.

Is the community accessible?

Refugees from conflict countries now living in New York could be accessible through partnering with an organization like HIAS, which works for refugee rights in America and at home.

Is there more research to be done?

Yes. These articles and others that I have read don’t go into measuring the impact storytelling, gaming, or technology can have in building bridges between these different communities. There is a possibility of looking at the advocacy and direct action work of non-profits like HIAS and trying to tie them to these storytelling techniques.

Can you imagine possible interventions?

Yes. Creating a storytelling platform that has direct actions included. Working with schools to provide storytelling workshops based on refugee stories. Creating online connections with people living in conflict countries and Americans - through a platform or event.

[laurengdsi-blog]

What I Have Been Reading

For the past three weeks, I have been keeping track of all of the articles I’ve been reading (that are not assigned for school). I tagged them with certain key ideas, and then mapped how frequent these ideas appeared (number of rings) and how they connected (overlapping of rings). I also categorized these tags (colors) by what the stories were about - Who, Where, What - and How they were told.

A lot of this wasn’t very surprising to me, but I think all of the overlaps were very interesting. Most of the articles I was reading were about solutions ideas for social problems. It also seems that I was interested in how technology, and personal stories try to address conflict, international, and women’s issues. I’m going to keep coming back to this map to see what else I can glean from it. My thesis is in here somewhere...

Here’s the original data with links and tags for each article.

[laurengdsi-blog]

GangSquares - Will you be the mob boss who can conquer it all? My group's first game in #GamesForChange, with professors Asi Burak and Naomi Clark. #whyDSI @svadsi #boardgames

[laurengdsi-blog]

If I went to the moon, I would bring... [Part II]

West Side Story, by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins

I used to spend summers repetitively watching the film adaptation of West Side Story. I am deeply invested in Tony and Maria’s star-crossed romance, even though I know it ends in tragedy every time. I am enthralled by the scene of 1950s Manhattan and the exquisite dance and musical numbers.

Tony is white and Maria is a Puerto Rican immigrant. The tension between the two communities manifests in a gang rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks. Tony and Maria each have friends and family who are members. They meet at a school dance and, very dramatically, fall in love. But the gang and their communities stifle their efforts to be together. Their plan to run away is interrupted by a gang war and Tony is killed.

The story is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but I find this version more compelling. The racial tension in West Side Story is much more relatable than two warring families in Italy. In the movie, the whites don’t want to accept the immigrant community who they see as intruders. I have heard similar rhetoric from American politics, especially in the South. The Puerto Ricans have come to America for a better life, but rebel against the discrimination they face. The police are a friend to neither gang as they overly exert their power - something else we have heard of recently in the news.

It is beautiful how Tony and Maria can see past all of this conflict. They are optimistic that they can make it work. My favorite characters are the two that support them. Doc and Anita are their friends who at first try to get them to see the impossible reality of their situation. They are discouraged by the current state of affairs. Yet, the purity of Tony and Maria’s love convinces them otherwise. Doc and Anita never get fully on board, but their mindset about the “other” starts to shift.

The idea of an “other,” whether defined by race, ethnicity, or nationality, has always stirred humanity into conflict. It is one of the greatest detriments to our potential. We align ourselves based on superficial differences instead of uniting over our common struggles.

My recent art piece, “The Humanity Shield,” experiments with how we can bridge these divides. The shield is a bulletproof-style vest with photo pockets on the front and back, as well as your name. In the pockets you can put any photos which you feel identify you as a unique and valued human being. I wanted people to be able to tell their human story in a universal language. I believe that stories can create empathy and understanding. This is what Tony and Maria’s love does for Doc and Anita in West Side Story.

The Humanity Shield, as exhibited at SVA Design for Innovation's show Fix!

The film tries to do the same for its audience. The dramatic music conveys the strength of the rage, pain, and love felt by the characters. It reflects urban America’s dark social problems in an unthreatening form. The singing and dancing disconnect us from reality and take us to a dream space. Here, we can confront our ideologies and try to conceive of a world where Tony and Maria have a happy ending.

[laurengdsi-blog]

If I went to the moon, I would bring... [Part I]

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

I bought Why Nations Fail three years ago. I have yet to finish it. The insights are powerful, but it is long. I would finally have ample time to finish it on the moon.

I am always confused how even with the best of intentions, we struggle to create systems that work well. This book reveals where we went wrong throughout history. Taking the time to analyze its research could help me learn from our past failures. Maybe then my work could help mitigate the inequality of power and prosperity.

Each chapter builds on a story of institutions, from the first settlers of the West to Tahir Square. Their evidence points to inclusive political and economic institutions as the answer. Economists Acemoglu and Robinson argue in favor of democracy created from grassroots movements. Institutions which concentrate power in the hands of a few only reinforce discrimination and monopolization. Countries need to foster a culture of innovation. To do so, they need democracy to empower and protect their citizens.

My work in international development struggles to fill the gaps of flawed institutions. I read this book before going into this field. My experience supports their findings. I feel so diminutive in comparison the complexity of governmental systems. We try to chip away at superficial issues by throwing money and Western “expertise” at impoverished countries. Instead of relying on our military or money, we should foster innovative environments and grassroots movements which can have sustainable impact.

I want to be a part of remaking our current political and economic systems which have positive feedback-loops that encourage democratization of power. Yet, this book makes it clear how entrenched extractive institutions are in our culture. They have set up systems to promote racial, gender, and class inequality. I want to use Why Nations Fail as a guide of how to break out of this cycle.

I don’t usually read non-fiction books that are so long and detailed in their accounts. They sometimes seem repetitive or belabored. But this book is not. Acemoglu and Robinson just have a lot of research which support Gandhi and Amartya Sen’s theories of capacity-building and self-sufficiency. I will continue to reread and progress on this book in the hopes that our past will teach me how to build our future.

[laurengdsi-blog]

Resources:

Barefoot College Website

Bunker Roy TED Talk

NPR Interview with Bunker Roy

Barefoot College Wikipedia Page 

Article on Gandhian & Nehruvian Theories of Development

Barefoot College blog post on World Energy Congress 2013

[laurengdsi-blog]

Why I chose Design for Social Innovation. Applications are still open for the fall! @svadsi #whydsi

[laurengdsi-blog]

Ten things I wish I had made...

…because of their storytelling capabilities: 1. Humans of New York - Photo portraits combined with short, powerful stories about every day people on the street that show the richness of humanity. 2. Instagram - The capability for everyone to create and capture beautiful moments of their life, and the only social media platform I think is worth paying attention to. When people use Instagram, they become artists - sharing beauty in their lives that the medium of photography universally communicates. To me, photographs are more substantive expressions of self because they can convey so many messages and emotions at once. They allow people to connect more seamlessly, without the barrier of language and leveraging shared goals or experiences. 3. StoryCorps - It is open to everyone, allows you to tell your story however you choose, and gives them value by archiving them in the Library of Congress. I have never participated in a StoryCorps interview, but I have cried to many. They are usually very short, but powerful. By having someone a part of the interviewee's story act as the interviewer, the interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee delivers the story in an extremely personal way. The stories are usually about overcoming some hardship or celebrating relationships in their life. They choose to share these messages through StoryCorps in the hopes of extending their empowerment or happiness to the audience.

…because they deliver powerful insights well: 4. FiveThirtyEight - A new way to analyze and report data to better inform our policy and lives. FiveThirtyEight uses statistical analysis as its method for in-depth research on daily news items. They apply their data expertise to politics, science, life, economics, and sports. Their reports consider all the data and possible scenarios in a scientific way that I feel is lacking from most newspapers. I use FiveThirtyEight as my fact checker and guide when I want to get all sides to a story. 5. “A Problem from Hell” by Samantha Power - Expert opinion and compilation of the history of genocide and America’s role in ignoring and aiding it. I read this book first as a part of my foreign policy class in college. I had never known before how much influence the American government had in world events beyond formal relationships, everything down to the smallest of interactions or decisions matters. It was a wake-up call to me how complex issues of genocide can be and how much of a role foreign governments can play in what may look to be a purely domestic issue.

…because the importance of their impact resonates with me: 6. Global Citizen Year - As someone who has experienced the richness of studying and living abroad during key developmental moments in my life, I think this international gap year program should be mandatory. 7. Nametag Day - Creating less “strangers” and more neighbors in our community. 8. #GivingTuesday - An effort to make giving back to society a social good and help us shift our thinking on consumerism.

…because they are ideals* of how development should be: 9. “Development as Freedom” by Amartya Sen - Argues that the role or development is to give people the capacity to make their own choices on how to better their lives. 10. The Barefoot College - Making rural communities more self-sustainable by teaching through localized methods, connecting distant communities to learn from one another, and empowering women.

*Having studied and work in development for a bit now, I see that there are so many discrepancies between how we teach and practice it. We are taught to "do no harm" and to "build capacity" (Sen's main argument), but the structure of international development with Western "experts" and short-term funding deadlines does not allow for these to be realized at all. The Barefoot College was one way in which I thought development was working well. I love the small and usually private organizations which work towards long-term and self-sufficient goals like this one. Yet, our major institutions which dominate the field in research and funding are still stuck in a structure which does not deliver our intended result.

This list was created as part of an Introduction to Thesis class.

[laurengdsi-blog]

The Success and Failures of a Charity Jingle

The charity record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” exceeded all expectations. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote the song in 1984 in response to the famine in Ethiopia. They leveraged the fame of pop stars in the UK by recording it under the supergroup Band Aid. The single ended up raising over $8 million for the famine relief and held the record as the fastest selling UK single in for 13 years. The group also held a popular charity concert – Live Aid – to continue the momentum. The song has been re-recorded by similar supergroups three times to repeat its charitable success for Ethiopia, in 1985 and 2004, and the Ebola Crisis in 2014. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” created a legacy of charity singles and concerts in response to international crises.

The writers – Geldof and Ure – wanted to create a sense of community between their audience and those suffering in Ethiopia. They tried to appeal, at the most basic human level, to those in West with disposable income. One particularly famous line in the song – “Feed the world” – implores the listener to take action and responsibility for the hunger crisis. They mobilized their connections in the music industry to write, record, and produce the song within a month. This urgency resonated with the audience, who bought a million copies in the first week.

“In the years after the triumph of Band Aid, charity and activism became less and less about grassroots action, and more and more about celebrity-driven spectacle. Geldof and Ure played a role in this shift; they helped position goodwill in the slipstream of cultural and free-market forces.” (“Famine and Fame: 30 Years On, Bob Geldof's Band Aid Legacy Is Again in the Spotlight”)

While the work achieved its short-term goals, the good intentions of the creators were probably misplaced in their efforts to stop the famine.

The response to “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was very mixed. Obviously, a large part of the public supported the group, or at least their positive intention. Others criticized the writers for the lyrics’ implied colonialist perspective and prejudice. I tend to fall into this camp. The song is unfortunately very catchy, but when you listen to the words it’s a bit stunning how blatant this message is. The song says Ethiopia is “a world of dread and fear / Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears.” Their life is portrayed as miserable and based solely on survival, so we should be their saviors who will bring hope. It paints a very simplistic view of the situation which diminished the Western public’s view of Africa.

While Band Aid did not create awareness of the Ethiopian famine well, their case is very interesting because of the movement it started. Their holiday jingle created a whole new form of public engagement through pop culture. The celebrities behind the song were just as important to its success as the mass appeal of its medium.

  References

Barratt, Luke. "Milestones: Feed the World." Cherwell.org. N.p., 2 May 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cherwell.org/culture/features/2014/05/02/milestones-feed-the-world>.

Castles, Simon. "Famine and Fame: 30 Years On, Bob Geldof's Band Aid Legacy Is Again in the Spotlight." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/famine-and-fame-30-years-on-bob-geldofs-band-aid-legacy-is-again-in-the-spotlight-20141111-11kalv.html>.

"Do They Know It's Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_They_Know_It's_Christmas%3F#cite_note-BBCThree-8>.

"Thatcher's Pop Legacy - Protest Songs or the Charity Single?" Channel 4 News. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.channel4.com/news/margaret-thatcher-pop-music-band-aid-geldof-protest-songs>.

[laurengdsi-blog]

A visualization of "Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning" by Rittel & Webber.

[laurengdsi-blog]

[laurengdsi-blog]

How to Create Change: A Mental Map