The goal of Tuesday was to assess different tools and methods used by designers and aid workers at various stages of their projects, and study their similarities or differences.
The day followed this structure:
An empty template poster keeping track of these similarities and differences was put up to be filled throughout the day at the conclusion of each stage.
During this day, to maintain a common thread, we decided to focus on the humanitarian cluster of Education in the context of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and the flow of Ukrainians to other European countries. Many students had taken actions on this topic in the past year, so we thought it would provide an extra layer of motivation for this day that was held in English.
This approach allowed the students to better understand the functioning of the humanitarian sector and discover the skills they could bring as humanitarian designers.
<aside> <img src="/icons/drafts_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/drafts_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> This journey also involved researching "What is the added value of design in the humanitarian sector?", which is one of our NGO's key questions for 2022.
</aside>
We began the journey with two games. First, we played a customised Jenga with questions glued to the wooden blocks about who we are or what we have learnt so far. Then, we worked on a mind mapping exercise created with the Humanitarian Designers' community throughout the year 2022.
<aside> <img src="/icons/meeting_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/meeting_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> Humanitarian Cluster mind mapping exercise
Participants are divided into smaller groups to create an initial mind map on a broad topic. For this exercise, we chose "Education". Once this task is completed, we provide them with printed materials, in this case: country reports on Ukraine, cluster reports on Education in Ukraine, cluster guidelines on education, UNICEF annual report, and SPHERE standards. After reviewing and analysing these materials, each group enhances their existing mind map and shares their newfound knowledge with everyone.
</aside>
Students playing the Jenga Game.
Students analysing reports for their mind mapping.
The exercise was effective in promoting and ensuring that participants would enhance their humanitarian knowledge by reading minimum standards and reports before starting a project. It also introduced them to basic knowledge of the Global Education Cluster and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine for the rest of the day.