For Students By Students

Sep 3

How might we…

empower high school students to create change in their communities?

Empowering Teens to Make Change

We want students who are interested in making change to have the tools to get started.

OVERVIEW

High school students want to create change in their communities but can be unsure how to start. From my own experience, I knew that design research was an effective tool for approaching seemingly insurmountable challenges. I wanted to pass along what I’ve learned about this process and so, with funding through the Gephardt Institute Civic Scholars program, I developed and implemented a pilot design research curriculum for high schoolers.

PROJECT OUTPUTS

Pilot design research curriculum for students at Mercer Island High School (MIHS), a public school in the Seattle area
Final presentation of insights to local partner Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS)
Initial concept for new club at MIHS to continue teaching design research

TIMEFRAME

June 2020 - August 2020 (3 months)

PARTNER

Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS)

TEAM

Jane Gormley - Curriculum Development

Chris, Joyce, Kate, Noah, and Ryan - Pilot Participants

My Roles

In addition to developing and delivering the curriculum, I coached two teams through the process and helped them identify their project topics. I also coordinated project logistics by recruiting interview participants and building a relationship with MIYFS as a local partner.

Design Journey

I used the tools of design to both develop and implement a 9-week design research curriculum.

Project Framing

After recruiting two teams of students interested in the program, we met to identify a possible topic area. Through these meetings and discussions with MIYFS and other school counselors, we landed on the two questions below.

Curriculum Planning

In developing the curriculum, I worked to find a balance between teaching design research and centering the student projects. This often meant only briefly introducing design topics and conducting a majority of the education through mentoring.

Moving Towards a Smaller Scope

I coached the teams through synthesis and helped them reframe their projects to focus on a narrower scope. The student work below was part of an activity I developed to help them move from insights to new how might we questions.

Testimony

“I felt very accomplished by the end of the summer. Everything was very organized and fun! I learned a lot, and I am happy to get the ideas for our club rolling!”
- Participant Feedback Form Response