Alumni Becky Querido: Curating Systems Change experiences

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I am a collaborative and creative Learning & Leadership Development professional that enables people to discover, experience and explore their potential, and cultivates in them positive lasting change. I utilize my strengths in connecting people, ideas and perspectives, creatively conveying vision and concepts, and finding opportunity in complexity in pursuit of growth and transformation.

I find powerful dynamic ways for people to interact with content to turn information into insight and knowledge into experience. My passion for cultivating learning in others has evolved in my 20 years of practice in human resources, change management, and project management. This combination of experience has given me a unique gift in curating powerful learning experiences. My work has included designing change and learning programs and systems for higher education, healthcare and utilities organizations.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I am motivated by inspiring others to live a more enriching life that minimizes our environmental impact, and by helping people move from survival mode to thriving in their work and personal lives. My mission is to activate agency in others to be a force for regenerative leadership and renovate their workplaces, lifestyles and communities in sustainable ways.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I discovered and started following Unschool in 2019 and was inspired by how the message of positive system disruption. I was curious to learn more about design thinking and how to apply systems thinking to make a difference to our global environmental challenges. (UnSchool team note: Becky completed our online Practitioner Certification Track!)

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Being an independent learner was difficult but I really connected with Leyla’s message and some of the concepts, such as gamification and social change theory. While it took me longer to complete than planned, I enjoyed the challenges which pushed me outside of my comfort zone and into taking action.  

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

The most important thing I can do is to take action. I have all the knowledge I need to act, and just need to put myself out there, have fun, and continue prototyping.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

I plan to continue to do workshops and bring people together to make micro changes to their daily home and workplace practices to think and act differently about their consumption and disposal choices.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The points challenges were key to getting me out of planning and into acting. The reflections and exercises helped me to generate ideas that got me motivated and ready for action. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

My neighbours and friends have been influenced and impacted by my projects. They have integrated small changes into their lives to conserve resources. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Website → www.querida.ca

LinkedIn → Becky Querido

Alumni Julie Beretta: Creating Space

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hello! I’m Julie, a yoga teacher, sustainability consultant, and writer (@thesustainablemag, @dinnerconfidential and I just completed my first book). With French-American origins, I was raised in Italy, but after spending several years working abroad and volunteering around the world on different projects tied to sustainability, I moved back to Rome in 2020, right before the pandemic hit.  

Craving deeper talks, I became an active member of Dinner Confidential, where I facilitate monthly conversations around taboo topics through vulnerability and active listening. This feeds my passion for human relations, which also led me to get trained in the 7 steps and enroll in Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry approach. Using these tools, I help people uncover the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and prepare them for difficult conversations with themselves and others.

All of the pieces of my work come together for me in my personal project, We Bloom (I plan to launch my website at the beginning of November). With this, my purpose is to create spaces for us to reconnect to our essence, communities and environment.

What words, sensations and feelings arise when you think of sustainability? We started our introspective journey with a breathing exercise and then each shared our answers in this space free of judgement. The COVID restrictions only allowed for 6 people to take part and that actually made this moment intimate and memorable - photo taken in October 2020 In Sabina, Italy.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

From a technological standpoint, we’ve never been as wired as we are now. Yet I often have the feeling that we are more disconnected than ever before; from our true selves, from our bodies, from others, from nature, etc. We got so deeply trapped into dynamics of separation, but everything is interconnected. What got us to forget that? 

The work that I do results from a personal necessity I had to reconnect. I have the need to be in touch with my feelings, to move my body, to slow down, spend time in nature, share deep talks —  and I know I’m not the only one.  

So, opening a space for people to talk about how they relate to certain topics, like the one of sustainability, and getting them to share how they really feel about it, was an important first step for me. What motivates me now (and what I wish to do with We Bloom) is to create a bridge between people who are passionate about this topic and others who are less naturally drawn to it.

How are products made? I assigned a product to two teams of two. Each team went through the 5 key stages (extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging and distribution, use, end of life). Isabel and Flavio analyzed the life story of jeans - photo taken in October 2020 In Sabina, Italy.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I found out about the UnSchool through a friend of a friend. I was looking for simple tools to add to my experience, so that I could demystify sustainability for those who manifested an interest in it yet didn’t know where to get started.  After I heard Leyla’s TED talk, I checked out the UnSchool webpage: finally I’d found somebody who made sustainability look cool and exciting!

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

I did a one month Masterclass in Circular Systems Design at the UnSchool. My experience was rather short but intense. I acquired a lot of knowledge (keeping up with the amount of content was in fact quite a challenge!) and many practical tools and activities (i.e. life cycle thinking, systems mapping, theory of change etc.) to gain clarity and come up with realistic solutions to integrate sustainability into our lives.  

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I knew that everything was interconnected, but I didn’t realize how interconnected everything actually was.  That was my main takeaway from coming to the UnSchool.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Thanks to the Unschool Masterclass, I spent a month getting curious about the following questions:

• How do people relate to sustainability? 

• Why do those who’d like to take action don’t do so?

• What stops them? 

What I found out was that many of us wish to make changes in our lives. Yet often, the sensations, words and emotions associated with sustainability are so uncomfortable that they make us want to look away instead of digging deeper. 

So I came up with a simple idea to respond to that problem, and opened non-judgemental spaces - both physical and virtual - for people to share their feelings, sensations and beliefs about sustainability. I used elements of my yoga practice, my facilitation skills, and some of Leyla’s tools to give people an opportunity to explore new ways of relating to this topic.

I ran this workshop - The Sustainable Practice - in the fall of 2020 and plan to have it again very soon, both in person and online. Stay tuned!

We ended this beautiful day with a round of "Take Home Message". Each participant shared what they got from The Sustainable Practice and how they intend to relate to it from now on. - photo taken in October 2020 In Sabina, Italy.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The UnSchool helped me mine the problem and gave me the tools I needed to offer easy and practical activities for people to understand sustainability differently. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

No matter what I do, I try to remind myself and others that WE ARE thanks to nature.   

I also try to spread what I’m learning in the various languages I speak (English, Italian, French and Spanish) to assist as many people as I can on their journey to sustainability.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

I’m launching my website at the end of the month, for now you can follow me on:

Linkedin → Julie Beretta

Instagram → Julie Beretta

Any other thoughts you want to share?

My interest in human behavior is what inspires me to expand our collective knowledge of our interconnectedness with the Earth. Sustainability isn’t a passion for me, it’s a duty.  And even if what I’m putting forward  is rather simple, I believe it’s an important first step all of us can take to start living  with more intention and respect for our environment.

Alumni G N Raghu: Decentralized Technology & Textiles

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

G N Raghu is a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur and community activist. Passionate about human-scale technology and providing rural employment opportunities in India, he joined us in Kuching, Malaysia for our fellowship program.

We recently caught up with Raghu to hear more about how his ventures are going and how he’s using the tools that he gained from his UnSchool experience.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

My name is G N Raghu, and I'm from India. I graduated as a mechanical engineer and worked as a machine designer in the automotive industry for a short while. To justify myself as a mechanical engineer, however, I quit my job, traveled across India and learned that there is a thirsting need at the grassroots level for decentralised technology. 

I started working with SELCO Foundation for 2 years in textiles, which helped me understand the specific details and scale of the solutions needed in the textile sector. The cotton value chain is one of the biggest livelihood activities in India; due to centralisation and huge scaling-up of processing, it has created skewed development with the people involved in the whole supply chain of cotton. This means that the technology required for centralization has reached its peak, whereas decentralized technology development is still a few decades behind, resulting in discrepancies in development.

To break that, and to give a better solution, I started working on the technology required for cotton processing in a decentralised manner. This has taken me through the works of Gandhi, J C Kumarappa and E F Schumacher and finally, to Kirkpatrick Sale. Their ideas of scaling and replicating, production by mass and Swaraj has led me to think toward the scale of science or technology that is very sustainable to operate.

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

With that in mind, I founded Studio for Humanscale Technologies (SHST) with the help of Janapadaseva Trust and Puvidham. Having understood the rural textile situation,  we started working with the local community. With the right network and the help of Suhasini Koulagi and Ashok Kumar B V, we together founded Bag’N Stories, a social enterprise that provides women with home-based employment making bags and other products that raise awareness around the issues with disposable plastics.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I grew up with my parents in a rural part of Mysore where my father used to run a paper recycling industry where 40 people worked. The prime reason why my father started this work was to increase the scope of rural industry, to provide employment opportunities and to recycle paper waste to produce cardboard.  

This was the initial motivation for me to create impact through my work, and as I grew up, I came in contact with Janapada Seva Trust , where I learned the importance of the rural economy through volunteering. After I graduated, I started  working with Sumanas Koulagi, a friend of mine and grandson of Surendra Koulagi who was the founder of the community-driven social organization Janapadaseva Trust. I learned there are huge gaps in technology for those who work with their hands — not in farm produce but especially in textile, particularly in the cotton value chain.  At the same time, I was trying to make sense of my degree, so this situation motivated me to look into alternate technology. 

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

Bag’N Stories was founded purely on the basis of need, where I was trying to work with a community near where I grew up along with some friends. One of the very first things we started with the community is to provide some kind of sustainable home-based livelihood activity, which slowly turned into a product. And to market the product, we started a social enterprise. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

After I stopped working with the Selco Foundation, in order to move to my hometown and start something of my own, I partnered with Freedesign. Freedesign is founded by Abhinav, an UnSchool fellow (Mumbai fellowship) and it was through him that I explored the UnSchool. It was the right time for me to have a platform and mentors to explore enterprises, problem solving and design problem solving. 

UnSchool is about these things, which was the main motivation for me to try and engage with the UnSchool and the Fellowship program, community and courses. 

The Kuching fellowship group at the Borneo Lab were we were based for the week (Photo courtesy of the UnSchool)

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The whole Fellowship program was designed over a week in a destination with like-minded people from all around the world considering a locally-focused problem to learn different techniques and tools to identify, understand and love problems. Then we learned to apply these tools to design solution processes, which was perfect for me, as I had just started an enterprise to address social and environmental issues. 

The flow of the program considered the local issues with a global perspective, which is exactly what a change-maker like me needs. The tools which were used over the 7 days course equipped me to take up any problem statement and design a solution or solution process to best fit. 

The program also included community engagement, food, sustainability, recycling, expert mentoring, success stories, and a whole lot of fun, which were all the right ingredients. 

What was the main takeaway you had from coming to the UnSchool?

There are two important takeaways that I had from the UnSchool fellowship program. One is the network provided by the fellow UnSchool alumni, who are change-makers from all over the world working on problems in every field. And the other one is the introduction to the tools, and how to use them to better understand and design the processes to change issues.

Raghu and fellow Sarah after a print workshop with social art collective Pangrok Sulap (Photo Zoe Palmer)

Tell us more about your initiatives, and how is it all going?

Studio for Humanscale Technologies

At Studio for Humanscale Technologies (SHST), we work towards providing technology and solutions that can be implemented in rural communities or for the people who work with their hands. This can enable them to do their work more efficiently while also ensuring that technology doesn’t lead to automation that leads to the loss of jobs for these people.

Hence, human scaling the technology is very important so that we understand to what extent the automation or mechanization has to be done so that tools are still under the control of humans.

SHST not only designs, develops, fabricates, tests and implements technology, but it also provides space for those who want to understand the relationship between technology and society. 

After the engagement with the UnSchool, I understood that it’s very important to educate and take these ideas to more people.  To do this, we are on the verge of opening a center or an institute to share with more people through education, training, skills and courses. Apart from this, SHST has been working on projects in textiles, agriculture, education and human-powered machines. 

It is evident that technology is a key driving force behind the outsize influence of our civilisation. Hence, it is essential to embrace human-scale technology, which encourages a sustainable and equitable future. In this context, the studio designs human-scale technologies that empower people and not that enslave. It also provides consultancy services.

The key aspects of such technologies are:

Controlled by artisan:

With the advent of centralized industrialization, people's lives are organized to run the machines continuously for increased profit. In other words, machines are controlling human lives and people have become subordinates. In contrast, human-scale technologies empower people by giving them control over machines. Thus, people won't operate as soulless machines.

Low cost:

Investment is a key factor that determines the level of freedom and disparity in society. As investment costs increase, technology can't be owned by masses. Thus, loss of freedom in turn creates inequality. In contrast, human-scale technologies are low-capital investments and can be owned by masses. Therefore, it enhances people's freedom and encourages equality.

Creative space at work:

Creative element is crucial for enjoying any work. But modernity based on centralisation has kept creative elements only for a selected few, leaving menial work for the rest of the masses. Hence, work is increasingly perceived as burden and drudgery. In contrast, human-scale technologies ensure creative space for artisans and encourage enjoyment at work.

Local maintenance:

Increased shifts towards technological automation makes people depend on others, particularly on manufacturing companies for maintenance and services. As such, artisans lose control over their lives. In contrast, human-scale technologies are designed in such a way that by and large they can be repaired locally.

Efficiency:  

An important role of technology is to reduce drudgery. But in today's rush of increasing efficiency, we have reached an era of automation displacing labour and loss of livelihoods. In contrast, human-scale technologies are designed within desirable efficiency that support livelihoods.

Enhancing freedom of artisan:

Freedom is fundamental for human well being. Our civilisation is based on technologies that are beyond human-scale, creating a world of unfreedom. High capital investment, complicated designs and urge for increasing efficiency resulting in centralisation and in turn, loss of freedom for the masses. In contrast, human-scale technologies encourage decentralisation that brings freedom for masses.

Bag’N StorieS

Bag’N Stories is a social enterprise and we mainly address two issues. First, unemployment in rural areas. Through economic activities, it aims to impact rural economies and empower women. Secondly, it addresses environmental issues like usage of disposable plastic by providing sustainable alternative options to the people. Apart from this, it also aims to bring back some traditional practices of rural India. 

Bag’N Stories’s Mission

• Women empowerment by providing a sustainable home-based  livelihood activity

• Delivering financial independence to those women who cannot travel out for work in rural and urban parts of Mysore

• Capacity building for local women and skill development

• Provide an alternative solution for disposable plastic bags

• Bringing awareness to the people about the damage caused by disposable plastics

• Providing sustainable packaging solutions for FPO’s, organic stores and other sustainable products

• Conveying the story of the product or the producer to the customer, thereby bridging the gap between them through visual story printing

• Entrepreneur development and training

• Replication of the model owing to horizontal development, rather than scaling up which results in vertical development

We have set up stable home-based activities for the women who are in the rural and urban parts of Mysore, thereby giving employment and also the freedom from financial dependency. The activities will include stitching, screen printing, natural dying, block printing, knitting, quilting, making macrame products, etc. 

After running successfully for 2 years, we have finally come to realise a few of our dreams. 

1. To provide stable home-based work for 20+ women. 

2. To train and develop a community member to be a social entrepreneur.

3. To replicate the model of Bag’N Stories owing to horizontal development. 

Kavya, from a rural part of Mysore, is now working with us for 6 months and understanding how a social enterprise works, along with all that is needed to run a social enterprise. Kavya has established a brand named Darji Collective under Bag’N Stories and aspires to completely take over it within 2 years. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

One of the initial thoughts after the UnSchool fellowship was to take our idea of Humanscale to others too, to anyone who is interested in working in the social sector through technology. To do this, we understood that we now need to establish a center where we can sustain and also replicate the idea to others. And right now, SHST is in the process of ideating the Center for Humanscale Technologies. 

Apart from this, I have very much improved in problem-solving processes and designing, using the tools I used in the UnSchool fellowship. And I often find myself drawing systems maps or X mapping, or jotting down every parameter that comes into play of a particular problem statement and drawing relationships with each of these parameters to find out those key parameters upon which our solution process can be designed, and so many other tools everyday. And sometimes I will be using the life cycle thinking tools we learned to evaluate the raw materials of Bag’N Stories. 

Darji Collective, an initiative by Bag’N Stories, also draws inspiration from the Unschool Fellowship and the courses through its entrepreneurs development programme.

Raghu and fellows during a life cycle mapping activity (Photo Zoe Palmer)

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

The talent investment program through the center for Humanscale technologies is one of the ways to engage those who are interested in exploring our Idea. To stay in touch with our work, follow: 

SHST website: https://studioforhumanscaletechnologies.webnode.com/
Bagnstories & Darjicollective Website: www.darjicollective.org
Darji Store: https://www.instagram.com/darjicollective/?r=nametag

Alumni Marcela Godoy: Sustainability Trend Labs & Lifestyle Campaigns

Marcela Godoy is a consultant and activist living in Chile. We met her at our São Paulo Fellowship back in 2016 and recently connected to hear more about how her change-making has evolved and expanded (which it has in very big ways!). Read on to find out more.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hi, I'm Marcela Godoy. I’m a consultant and activist. I define myself as a change-maker in sustainable consumption and production systems. I live in Chile, and I am passionate about the circular economy. 

I co-run as a Sustainability Director, the consulting firm Stgo Slow, a sustainability trends laboratory, through which we advise companies on sustainability management, ecodesign, circular economy, trends, lifestyle and sustainable communication.

I’m also the president of Circular, the Association of Sustainable Consumers of Chile, which is a citizen organization where we work in educating on sustainable lifestyles through the #AcademiaCircular. We create awareness campaigns and represent citizenship for the creation of public policies associated with sustainable consumption and production systems.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Thanks for this great question! I think it's the balance between my career and my activism; being able to work on what I believe in is a gift, discovering it and daring to live the adventure of doing it is a treasure. I feel very fortunate to have discovered my passion and to be able to continue to work on it. 

The challenge is to maintain it, which is why perseverance in doing things with professionalism, seriousness, a collaborative spirit and technical and scientific support is essential.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

In 2015 I watched Leyla's TED talk, and she blew my mind because back then I also used the example of paper and plastic bags to explain concepts such as efficiency, biodegradability and the product life cycle approach to my students at the university.

So I felt that I was on the right track and that I wasn't really crazy when I saw her talk! This motivated me to work on creating a story to close the knowledge gap in sustainability for other professionals and consumers.

And of course, I wanted to live the whole UnSchool experience. To continue learning with Leyla and the fact that there was going to be a fellowship in Sao Paulo was a great opportunity. So I applied and attended the third UnSchool Fellowship in 2016. 

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

It was an amazing week! And a real adventure, because I had been living my motherhood almost full time and it was the first time I was away from my little daughter Matilde.

I met incredible people with whom I still have contact. I learned so much more about sustainability, and of course I met Leyla, one of the women that I admire most.

What was the main takeaway you had from coming to the UnSchool?

It was definitely systems thinking, I always explain how it changed my life. Now I live, work and even decide everyday things using systems maps.

And the whole experience had an impact on the design of the training programs I run; in fact, the Academia Circular I started in Chile is inspired by the UnSchool of Disruptive Design!

Alumni working during the Academia Circular 2018. Photo by Circular.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

The two initiatives I lead are in the context of sustainable consumption and production systems. Stgo Slow works with companies to  improve their production patterns and the communication of these improvements. On the other hand, Circular works both with the government of Chile supporting the creation of public policies related to sustainability and Circular Economy, and with citizens, listening and educating about the impacts of our consumption decisions as well as the power that we have as consumers to change the whole system.

Speaking about circular economy and consumption and production systems at CEFA - Circular Economy Forum Americas 2018, Photo CEFA 2018.

While running Stgo Slow, we have developed the Ecodesign 3.0©, an upgrade to the traditional methodology that incorporates marketing 3.0, improving stakeholders’ engagement and innovation by introducing market research and analysis of consumers’ lifestyles to the process.

In Circular, we participate in several initiatives in the public and private sectors. We were part of the Extended Producer Responsibility Law Committee (Ley REP) and are currently part of the Chilean Plastics Pact, the Road Map for Circular Economy in Chile for 2040. We also are part of the committee that developed the eco-label of recyclability for packaging in Chile, which will inform consumers about the recycling level and how to close the loops correctly.

I just realized it's a lot of things! It’s a lot of work and requires a lot of time, which by the way is ad honorem, so it is what we call “efficient activism”.

Introducing the Ecodesign 3.0 methodology at the Latin American Summit of Innovation in Plastic Packaging, Mexico, 2019. Photo by Stgo Slow.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

It helped me a lot, to find others who were taking action in different spaces, with different purposes, but with the same strength, mobilized to achieve sustainability as I was.

Living the intensity of that experience, and then realizing that change begins at a personal level, helped me act as an agent and as a collective in a social movement.

And finally, The UnSchool helped me to assume that it is possible to do both: to work on what I love and to live from what I believe.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

By creating a community of mobilized people who want to truly change the world, without greenwashing, with social justice and equity.

Matilde telling the story of "Stephen, the single-use plastic eater" in the 2019 mini circular workshop. Photo by Circular.

This hard work is not possible without my best friend and partner Carola Moya, with whom I design and develop all the ideas that come to mind! 

With my partner and friend Carola Moya, in an interview for the webserie "El Nuevo Vestir", in the episode "The new challenges of the fashion consumer".

I also try hard to give these values to my daughter, although she is the one who ends up teaching me everything. She is my greatest pride; she even has been a facilitator in the workshops for children in Circular. We started an instablog @para_grandes_y_pequenes, where we relate our journey towards sustainable living with a language for all, grown-ups and little ones.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

You can follow Stgo Slow and Circular on Instagram, as this is where we are most active with publications and news.

Alumni Eureka Khong: Ecological Design for Regenerative Communities

Eureka came to the UnSchool during our last Fellowship in beautiful Borneo, in the city of Kuching. A creative change-maker based in India, Eureka focuses on ecological design for regenerative communities. We caught up with her to hear more about the very inspiring work that she’s up to!

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

A few years ago, when I allowed myself time to disconnect from a conventional Architect’s career goals, I found myself gravitating toward socially responsible architecture and regenerative land practices. Since 2016 I’ve been part of Project Potential, a grassroot non-profit in Bihar, India. Here we believe in investing in rural India’s human capacity and encouraging informed solutions to emerge from within. Our role as a scaffolding is to support with knowledge, skills, attitudes, networks, and resources, and toward that goal, we are creating a space in brick and mortar to explore sustainable and regenerative living practices and be involved in creative and transformational experiences, free from judgment.

This space is called eArthshala - ‘shala’ in Hindi means a house and eArthshala is thus, incrementally evolving into a physical experience of our core principle ‘eArth’. Hidden in it are three elements we believe as critical to a nurturing society: the English ‘earth’, and the Hindi ‘arth’ (अर्थ), suggesting both, economy and meaning. In other words, it is a philosophy that seeks a regenerative earth, economy, and existence (way of life). My key contribution here is in envisionsing, bringing in collaborative partners, facilitating local construction upskilling and setting up day-to-day systems and processes to actualise that vision. 

No hour is the wrong hour to engage me in action and conversations on waste management solutions (albeit while understanding that recycling also perpetuates waste) and sanitation —  no matter how graphic the details or messy the situation!

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

My key motivating factors would be: intrinsic on-ground learnings, social relevance, and our team.

Having jumped into a project that requires us to scan all that’s around us locally and out there in the world, strip every jargon and distill information and ideas that we can prioritize and implement on the ground, means it’s an everyday LEARNING BONANZA. One day I’m looking into organizational systems, and another I’m looking into behaviour design tweaks to our waste segregation systems. One day it’s fine-tuning architectural design to suit climatic conditions, and another day is about making hands-on sundried adobe bricks. 

While my focus is on campus making (with an onsite skill-training aspect), the larger organization works across the development domain of youth leadership, community awareness, healthcare and humanitarian aid. Together we are working on an “ecosystem approach” toward development action in Bihar, where we foster effective collaboration between government, civil society and private entities.

In all this, the key factor that glues all the other factors together is a team culture of inclusivity, and the intentional space for each of us to evolve and nurture individual and collective potential. Each of us are here because we’ve, in some form or another, taken the agency to bring about change in our “sphere of influence” — and that’s infectious.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

It’s possible that I started to follow Leyla’s work and UnSchool subsequent to stumbling across her TED talk, “Paper beats plastic? How to rethink environmental folklore”. In 2015, the talk played a key role in shaping my personal convictions toward sustainability and in questioning the sustainability myths I believe in. 

I’ve been following the UnSchool since then, but it wasn’t until last year that I felt ready for the Fellowship experience. Last year, three years after we began working and building eArthshala from scratch, at one point I began to feel that some of the systems and processes we set out were beginning to generate results! I also felt that in a way, I had implemented a major part of my skills and knowledge, and was ready to soak in new mental models and tools and bring them back to our actions on ground. The UnSchool program sounded like the right booster shot I needed to learn sustainability design tools, with the oh-so-tempting benefit that it would be a much deserved “mental spa” at Borneo with others from our global tribe!

The Kuching Fellowship group

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

While each day was power-packed with unexpected and memorable experiences, from the Zero Waste Shopping challenge and gorgeous communal meal prep, to the exhausting 24-hour design challenge, the day we traveled to the Matang Wildlife Reserve and the subsequent events to follow probably best describes the power of the UnSchool Experience.

The visit to the reserve was unexpected for all involved, including the facilitators -- somehow none of us expected to walk into a rehabilitation center in the rainforest and be greeted by majestic orangutans, gibbons and sun bears in caged enclosures. Unfortunately, they were safer here because the alternative was to be fighting for survival against poachers and conflicts with other orangutans -- who knew that the home range of a male orangutan in the forest is around 2500 hectares (that’s just two male orangutans in the whole city of Manhattan)! 

While we understood that they were also being taken care of by an extremely dedicated and informed team, it was hard to not very quickly feel emotionally drained. Seeing our energies by the end of the trail, the facilitators decided to not opt for the trek but instead chose some down-time by the stream.

As we laid back in the deep green water, feeling consumed by the busy surround sound of the forest and shreaky calls of the gibbon, I felt as though there was another deafening sound in my head -- perhaps that of cognitive dissonance in full action. Here I lay in this pristine waters under these dense foliage, exercising a freedom that should actually be for Peter and other orangutans --- but here I am, and there they are in their enclosures with their caretakers. The swim was many things at once: a bonding session between the fellows, a much-needed alone time for those who craved it, and an intense, intimate moment with planet Earth.

It was followed up with a delicious falafel picnic (prepared by the facilitators) -- imagine frying 200 (I assume) falafel first thing in the morning in a less-than-equipped service apartment. Then a no-holds-barred hour of Q&A with our guide Dominic and X-map reflection, each of which episodes deserve their own contemplative essays!

In any other experience, we would have probably called it a day. But not here! Back in the moving bus we played RIMBA, a truly fun card game designed by Nisha and Lymun (our super hosts) that encouraged us to learn about or at least come to recognise the unique Borneo forest animals. I was sitting at the front end of the bus, so I had the front row seat (literally) to witness how Leyla “reads the room” -- suddenly, she had an idea, followed by whispering-whisperings between the hosts and lots of excitement for the brewing secret. A long bus ride later (to literary on the other side of Kuching) and just past sunset, we arrived at Kampung Panchor Hot Spring! 

Our time in the hot spring, enjoying this natural bounty at the end of such an emotionally-gutting day, was one of my most visceral moments of feeling a sense of gratitude toward our Earth.

Once again, in any other experience, we would have probably called it a day. But not here! The hour-long bus ride to our dinner involved our gamification session! So here we were, after all that the day had to offer, including 4 hours of bus rides, enthusiastically drafting out our game... in the case of our group: an app-based game for elderly people addressing a social cause!

Gosh, I’m having a tough time not extending this answer to a 3-page blog post. So, to sum up, the Fellowship experience gets a lot of things right -- how to press EVERY emotional and mental button in a short and intense span of time and still leave us wanting more is uniquely UnSchool!

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

The sheer breadth of experiences was inspiring! The careful mentor selection, starting with Jacky’s humorous take on our city’s history contrasted with the quieter tone of Pangrok Sulap punk rock and wood carving artworks; Carolyn’s zero waste initiatives to Welyn’s insights on indigenous knowledge systems and fair trade; Chris Perry’s journey from a fashion professional to edible park designer to Steve’s provocative questions to change the way we see the world and the language we use to express ourselves. Then to tie it all together, the primary venue Borneo Lab in itself was bursting with creative out-of-the-box expression and not to mention EVERY meal with their unique twists.

The underlying trend in all of it... that no matter what field we choose to specialize or contribute toward, we can ALWAYS use it as a tool towards social and environmental justice. This would be my main takeaway.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

In the design and construction of eArthshala, there are some key choices we’ve made to minimise our carbon footprint and maximise our positive impact. For example, passive solar design with our climate and weather patterns in mind ensures we’ll have rooms that are naturally lit and ventilated. The use of primary building materials that are renewable such as earthen walls and bamboo for roofing members means that we’ve been able to minimise the use of high-embodied energy construction material like fired bricks, steel and concrete. Other elements of regenerative landscape and sustainable sanitation systems are also being worked out -- all this while prioritizing the skilling of local artisan in building services and construction techniques.

Our work flow took a hit due to the lockdowns imposed at the start of the pandemic, but now that the government is no longer imposing blanket lockdowns, we have been able to bring back our work traction. Certainly the threat of Covid-19 looms, but if all things pan out as per current plans, our first building, the Training Hall should be all set to host you(!) in 2022 --- just in time for what we call hope would be the post-pandemic life!

Other than that, I’m personally dabbling in a few other interests like land-regenerative practices and sustainability education.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The entire journey of UnSchool right from the crowdfunding campaign to the actual experience at Kuching has brought about a new level of confidence in me, that perhaps came about as I began to more formally present my ideas publicly. To add to that, the Fellowship experience in itself is a great example of the power of the tools of systems thinking, sustainability and disruptive design. 

My UnSchool cohort has been especially helpful when I needed to think through (or even calculate) some aspects of my ideation. I suppose a shout out here to some of their works would be apt! Hani’s (@wastelesskch) advocacy and sharing of her triumphs and struggles with zero waste journey is especially inspiring for its brutal honesty and articulation. Lymun and Nisha (@ecocentrictransitions) hosted our Fellowship and were instrumental in getting ALL the minute details together that made it so memorable! Raghu (@govindjr.raghu) is a serial social entrepreneur and will intrigue you with the great lengths that he can go to in following his curiosity.

As my ideas for my current and upcoming initiatives take shape, our Alumni network, tools and mental models from the UnSchool will continue to play a key role in guiding my process of research, inquiry, reflection and solutions.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

Shortly after the Fellowship I'd gotten the opportunity to a TEDx Youth Talk titled “Self Expression for Community Transformation'', where I shared my personal journey, doubts and our vision for eArthshala and Bihar.

On the other hand, however, the struggle to motivate immediate family and friends to compost is still very real!

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Happy to make time for those that reach out. You can follow my work at:

Instagram_ Project Potential -- if interested in our social activities

Instagram_ Personal -- if interested in following my personal journey

Wordpress -- for my blog and work portfolio

Hope to cross paths with you soon!

Alumni Rocio Rutter: Sustainable Supply Chains & Impact Enterprise

Rocio Rutter is an Industrial Engineer with a Master’s in Supply Chain Management. Born in Peru, she’s lived in Australia as a citizen for the past 12 years.

Rocio Rutter, Images supplied

Rocio recently joined our live online Masterclass in the Disruptive Design Method and Circular Economy. We caught up with her to hear more about her work in sustainable supply chains and how the UnSchool experience has helped her start Bivio, a for-impact enterprise providing circular transformation advisory services.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

My life has always been driven by my passions, my family and my purpose of meaningful impact on everything I do.  My passion for problem-solving, connecting nodes and pragmatic action delivery have influenced my career path and work experiences. The last 18 years of working experience have centered around supply chain & operations, working across mining, resources and manufacturing industries in South America, USA, Asia and Australia. Additionally, I have worked with fantastic people whilst performing the role of Senior Manager in Tier 1 consulting firms, advising leaders in the areas of operations strategy, technology integration and program execution as part of Digital & Business Transformation initiatives. 

There was one thing I have always encountered whilst helping organisations transform to deliver a growth and financial performance agenda: change. Specifically, dealing with the complexities of our resistance to it. 

The journey towards a deeper understanding of this social problem is what led me to find the Circular Economy and its principles.

To me, the principles underpinning circular economy were the missing link I always felt existed in an organisation’s transformation journey. This is why my latest career adventure is now as a Founder and CEO of Bivio. We are a for-impact enterprise providing circular transformation advisory services focused and tailored to supply chains & operations and their challenges/objectives. 

Launching Bivio Consulting business

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

As mentioned before, my career has been driven by the purpose of meaningful impact on everything I do. The human race faces a significant challenge in stopping our current economic & growth trajectory at the expense of irreversibly damaging our planet and its diverse ecosystems within. Changing it into a regenerative and restorative model to secure our future is now critical.  The work we do is centered on helping the arms and legs of today’s economy (supply chains), and to transform their thinking and business models so we come closer to delivering on this challenge.

Facilitating a supply chain leaders workshop on the topic of Building Supply Chain Resilience (photo ASCI)

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

Upon building a fantastic network of like-minded circular economy practitioners in Australia, someone within the network recommended the program as a fantastic approach and method to pick up systems thinking capability whilst learning from the fantastic Leyla and a group of innovators taking the course with me. 

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Two words. Positively overwhelming. I really enjoyed Leyla’s style to unload the significant amount of information and knowledge she has across the 10 sessions we held and tapping into adjacent topics to the methodology itself (like cognitive bias, gamification, etc). For people like me who like diversity over density, it was the perfect model. Upon concluding the course, I am now deep diving on the areas of higher interest starting with the great baseline given by the program.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

To discover my own agency for meaningful change. Circular economy as a topic is so large and complex that sometimes it was hard to see how I could make a difference. Leyla has given us the perfect trajectory and tools to put ideas into action.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Since starting my company, I have established great partnerships with digital companies, sustainability agencies and climate action innovators. We are working on integrating their technologies as accelerators of circular business model adoptions and to bridge the gaps delaying progress today. At the same time, I am currently helping local councils on their circular procurement transformation and SME companies on defining a growth roadmap, using circular principles as levers. Finally, I have ventured into writing articles and educational content for supply chain leaders to help address misguided mental models around circularity and the role it plays in operational efficiency. Our objective is to call-out to operational leaders and help them realise they need to be at the driver's seat of this transformation.

Our first public webinar on Circular Economy for Supply Chains

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The UnSchool Program was a great process for me to map out the problem I wanted to resolve and the system it was a part of. It was a very practical way to learn systems thinking and how to apply it to the problem I was trying to solve through my business. The knowledge and insights I have gained as a result of the program are invaluable in work and life.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

Besides the tailored services we provide to supply chains and organisations, we have an impact plan including three areas:

• Foster awareness and circular understanding amongst SC and operation leaders - through the release of practical, knowledge-based articles and panel-focused webinars. 

• Starting the Circular Supply Chains Innovation Hub (enabled by a digital platform) - gathering SC leaders to map different value chain systems and tiers, identify industrial symbiosis opportunities, foster learning and innovation solutions for complex & systemic problems.

• Starting a supply chain pay-it-forward initiative to bring back the circular part of the chain.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Our company website is www.bivio.com.au

We will also publish all of our work and progress on Linkedin and on Medium.

Any other thoughts you want to share?

We believe that circular transformation is not about the destination but the journey. Every step we take, no matter how big or small, will help us restore and regenerate our natural systems. 

Our theory of change is that by caring about the impact footprint of what we do and who we do it with, we can focus on what matters, addressing organisational alignment and collaboration for supply chain visibility & product innovation.

This way companies will thrive through:

• An engaging positive business impact, attracting the right talent and fostering innovation.

• A changed partnership dialogue, incubating collaboration for complex problem resolution.

• A clear business “lighthouse” for meaningful & accountable digital technologies & platform investment.

Alumni Katherine Standefer: Author on Circularity for Medical Implants

Kati Standefer is a writer and teacher with an incredible story to tell. We first met Kati when she joined our Post Disposable workshop in collaboration with KaosPilot in Denmark. When she applied to come to the workshop, she had just started working on her book and was looking for new ways to think about designing circularity into medical implants.

Her own experience with a defibrillator was the catalyst for her work. It led her to trace the whole life cycle, visiting the mines where the raw materials were sourced all the way through to examining what happens at the end of their use. It was a fascinating experience for all of us at the workshop to learn about this category of product and witness Kati’s journey to completing her book (which was published November 10th — check out the New York Times review here) over the last few years.

Read on for more details on her amazing approach and how she completed this monumental project.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I’m a writer based out of New Mexico. For the last eight years, I’ve been working on a book called Lightning Flowers: My Journey To Uncover the Cost of Saving A Life, which (finally!) came out on November 10. The book opens on the night in 2012 when I took three accidental shocks to the heart from my implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD). I’d had the device implanted in 2009, after I passed out in a parking lot and was diagnosed with a genetic arrhythmia—Long QT Syndrome—that could cause the heart to quiver instead of beat, sometimes leading to cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death. 

Available to order now!

In theory, an ICD goes off when you’re unconscious, resetting the heart so it can beat normally again. But that night in 2012, mine went off while I was awake, because of an error in its settings. To take 2,000 volts to the heart is a searing, otherworldly experience, and in the moments after the shocks stopped, I found a strange question landing in my body: If the device had saved my life, and the metal inside me had come from a conflict minerals area (where women were kept as sex slaves or children were conscripted to work), was it worth it?

This is a 3-D x-ray of my ICD, two functioning lead wires, and one broken lead wire (which drives the narrative of the second half of the book). (Photo credit: The Mayo Clinic Radiology Department, June 2017)

I will never know quite why that question landed in me, but I became obsessed with it. The metal in my body suddenly felt unpredictable and foreign, the mark of my complicity in a long supply chain whose ethical questions had never been teased out in these terms. Over the years that followed, I expanded my inquiry to think about the ecological devastation of mines carved out of an endemic jungle, and the complicated ways even a conservation offset impacts indigenous people.

Conductive interviews with villagers in Ampitambe, Madagascar, outside Ambatovy nickel and cobalt mine. June 2014. Photo credit to my interpreter Olive, whose last name I no longer have.

I visited mines in Madagascar, Rwanda, and South Africa, as well as across the American West. Lightning Flowers is the story of my journey to understand whether other lives were lost to save mine—and whether, in the context of the American healthcare system, I might have been better off without my ICD.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

As a kid growing up outside Chicago in the 1980s and ‘90s, I watched the few remaining scraps of forest and prairie in my area paved over and filled in. Subdivisions of identical McMansions exploded across the land everywhere I looked. Repeats of the same big box stores filled new strip malls. To me, a girl who loved tangled woods and spans of wetlands, who spoke to trees and animals, the built world was stifling and sad.

We talk about reality as though it exists in opposition to the sensory world. We speak as though growing up requires turning our back on other species, as though the timelines and deadlines and bottom lines of the human world are sacrosanct. We act as though it is reasonable to ignore or even exploit other humans in order to fulfill a company’s profit mandate. The journey I took to write Lightning Flowers helped me hear the voices I’d been trained to forget. It helped me understand that although all beings live by consuming resources, humans have the option of taking resources violently and brutally, or with a consciousness around what it means to receive and an ethic around giving back. Indigenous peoples have long carried knowledge around the latter, while our culture’s view of what is “normal” is much closer to the former.

In the medical portions of the book, readers repeatedly encounter the moments medical practitioners and healthcare bureaucracy fail to see me—and perhaps it is this that has made me so desperate not only to see others who are ignored and dehumanized, but to give these stories voice. Colonization and capitalism are both forms of trained blindness, and writing is one vehicle for puncturing their myths.

At the Mayo Clinic for specialty care, June of 2017. Photo Credit: self.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

Now this is funny. A few years ago, as an alumni volunteer, I interviewed an applicant for the college I attended. The person I interviewed grew up homeschooled in California and participated in a lot of unconventional learning programs, including a month-long writing class hosted by a program called… the UnSchool. As a writer who prefers teaching in formats outside traditional academia, I thought this would be a dream gig. I looked the organization up online and signed up for their mailing list. 

OR SO I THOUGHT! Instead, I’d signed up for this UnSchool, and before I realized what had happened, I found myself fascinated by the content I was receiving. It was meant to be. The #PostDisposable course in Aarhus, Denmark, appeared in my inbox shortly after I signed up. I felt an immediate resonance. At the time, I’d been writing the book for six years—I’d been to mines across the African continent and talked to countless experts—but I couldn’t figure out what, exactly, I should conclude. My book asked a giant question, and even though I knew it couldn’t be answered neatly, I wanted to be able to gesture more clearly toward some solutions. It seemed like the #PostDisposable program might help me do that.

In a mine shaft at Cooperative COMINYABU in Busoro, Rwanda, where tin, tantalum, and tungsten are extracted as part of a certified conflict-free program. August 2016. Photo credit unknown.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Before I traveled to Denmark, I assumed I would report from inside the course (with the permission of those involved, of course), using the “journey narrative” of traveling to and attending the program as a framing to discuss related ideas in my book. Once I arrived, however, I realized I was receiving something much more subtle. Though I’d spent that spring reading about concepts like the Circular Economy, I didn’t have anyone to talk about them with. Now I was on the sixth floor of Kaospilotsterne, overlooking the red tile roofs of Aarhus with fashion designers and professors from all over the world, for the first time in conversation about design concepts. I came to understand that we could ask more of all designers—that values other than efficiency and cost could be embedded in our products. I was lit up by the quality of the conversations and the way the UnSchool’s specific brainstorming strategies could be used to explode some of the world’s most “wicked” problems. The program made me braver and more confident in my thinking.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I was deeply impacted by a writing prompt in which we were asked, “What is the dream and what is the challenge?” Here, for the first time, I allowed myself to give up the idea that I could—myself!—solve the resource issues and American healthcare system snaggles associated with the implanted cardiac defibrillator. Instead, it occurred to me that I could challenge the designers and politicians to achieve particular outcomes--truly believing that if we declared the outcomes non-negotiable and worked our way backward, change would be possible. I’m clear-eyed about the hurdles this thinking faces, and yet if I couldn’t articulate such a vision, who would? Both imagination and a stubborn determination are required for disruptive design, and we so often cut ourselves off before we even begin. 

The paragraphs I penned in the workshop appear, in revised form, in the Epilogue, and that whole chapter is deeply informed by my time in the #PostDisposable program.

Working with the group during the UnSchool workshop in Denmark

How did the UnSchool help you evolve your work?

I knew before the #PostDisposable program that there was a fledgling pacemaker recycling movement. But I hadn’t yet investigated what it looked like. During my UnSchool program—as I became more aware that the ICD was a series of design decisions, and that values were encoded in each design element—I began to wonder more fiercely whether there was a compelling reason the ICD was a single-use object, or whether this aspect of the device was simply the result of our single-use-oriented society, tangled bureaucracy, and a profit motive that drove companies to sell new high-priced technologies to patients (paid for by insurance), while incinerating used devices instead of tackling the challenges of reuse.

 About six months after #PostDisposable, I spent a long morning at brunch in Ann Arbor with the cardiologist Dr. Thomas Crawford of Project My Heart Your Heart, learning about the standardized process they’re developing for cleaning and testing devices that have enough battery life to be useful to other patients. (Pacemakers are at the front of this movement rather than ICDs because they are—to oversimplify a bit—life-sustaining rather than prophylactic in most cases.)  Because of current FDA regulations, used devices can only be implanted abroad, but a series of important studies suggest there’s no increased risk for patients with these recycled devices, other than a need for replacement sooner (due to lower battery levels at implantation). My UnSchool training encouraged me to pursue this line of research, gave me a different set of tools for approaching its possibilities, and empowered me as a writer to push where policy change might make the most difference.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

I’m still a bit stunned that the book is finally coming out; it felt like I would never finish this book, and… now it is done. I recently spent a week in the studio recording my own audiobook, and it was such a dream to feel the way all the different pieces came together—that despite how messy it felt over so many years, I have written the book I was trying to write. So far it’s been well-received—Lightning Flowers received a rave, starred Kirkus review in late September, the book was selected by Oprah Magazine as a November 2020 pick for their Reading Room, and I’ve been booked by NPR’s Fresh Air.

All this feels particularly poignant because, as the launch date approached, I was remembering that the real purpose of the book was always to hold space for conversations we wouldn’t otherwise have. In the ecosystem of a culture, it’s the job of a writer to interrogate, reframe, push back—to point to possibilities the rest of us, in our daily grind, might not have the imagination for. I’ve spent eight years asking a giant, unanswerable question with my very body, and now it is time to seed a lot of other people asking that question. We won’t know the real outcome of this book for a while yet, but I am very ready to begin a life in which I work less like a hermit and more as a public intellectual. As climate change and resource issues hit a boiling point, it’s time to take these questions very, very seriously. I hope I can be of use.

Villagers in Nahampoana, Madagascar, affected by QMM ilmenite mine. They reported being kept out of ancestral forests by guards and cameras. June 2014.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

The best way is to order a copy of the book! Lightning Flowers is available anywhere books are sold, although I’ll encourage you to place your order with an independent bookstore. (In this COVID moment, they really need our support.) Folks can follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @girlmakesfire, or check out upcoming events on my website: www.KatherineStandefer.com. I’m seeking to meet with 100 book clubs virtually over the next year; if you’d like to read Lightning Flowers with some friends and zoom me in, please get in touch! (You can listen to me talk about why the book is so relevant right now in this fall media showcase; I’m on at 16:26.) Finally, I’d love to speak to university groups, NGOs, podcasters, or conferences. Lightning Flowers unfolds at the intersection of so many fields—medical technology, healthcare, mining, supply chains, conflict minerals, our cultural relationship to death—and I can’t wait to hold space for conversations that move us, however slightly, toward more equitable, nourishing, and ecologically stable ways of living.

Meeting the lemurs in Madagascar. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, June 2014. Photo credit unknown.

REVIEWS FOR KATI’S BOOK

“An affecting, crystalline memoir.”
— O Magazine

“Lightning Flowers is both a memoir and a mystery, a riveting debut book by Katherine Standefer. She faces her own heart and the technological device that keeps it beating with the sharp eye of a journalist and the dramatic pacing of a novelist. Following the supply chain from her body to conflict minerals in the Congo, we see how the world is interconnected and interrelated. Standefer is a lyrical writer who has crafted an embodied text, understanding that our survival balances on the cliff edge of our complicity and our compassion.”
—Terry Tempest Williams, author of Erosion: Essays of Undoing

“A sharp examination of the ways that a heart condition affected the author’s life as well as those of strangers halfway across the world… Packed with emotion and a rare, honest assessment of the value of one’s own life, this debut book is a standout. An intensely personal and brave accounting of a medical battle and the countless hidden costs of health care.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“In her stunning debut, Katherine E. Standefer reveals how a single piece of supposedly lifesaving machinery has forever implicated her in ruinous global supply chains, how entire economies of extraction have come to reside deep within her body. With great clarity and resilience, Lightning Flowers invites us to become intimate with the moral and environmental calculus of our own lives.”
—Francisco Cantú, author of The Line Becomes a River 

“In Lightning Flowers, Katherine Standefer offers a full accounting of the cost of a single life, and it is nothing short of astonishing. She travels, literally, to both the brink of death and the edge of the world to discover exactly what it means to live. Her courage is palpable, on the page and in life. This book is utterly spectacular.”
—Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises and What We’ve Lost is Nothing

“Lightning Flowers is a quest for an answer to the most basic human question: what is a life worth? For a young American woman, kept alive by a hunk of metal in her chest, the answer is to be found in the African mines that produce titanium, cobalt, nickel... the precious metals used to make our essential microelectronics, including heart defibrillators. No trial in this quest can be avoided: heartbreak and debt, culture shock and corporate empire, medical indifference and poverty, trauma and mortality. There is an alchemy of tender magic and brute force in Standefer's writing; Lightning Flowers transports us into the heart of Africa—and the heart of a woman forced to question our global, racialized economy even as she identifies the raw materials that give her life.”
—Ann Neumann, author of The Good Death

Alumni Milosz Falinski: Tech for Good

One of the most rewarding parts of the UnSchool community is the variety of entrepreneurial approaches and creative initiatives that we learn about from the people who join us on programs.

Milosz Falinski joined us for our online Masterclass in the Disruptive Design Method in February earlier this year and shared his work around using tech for good. We caught up with him recently to find out more about his initiatives and the ways that the live online masterclass has helped him further his changemaking career. 

Milosz Falinkski

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Thanks for having me! I’m Milosz Falinski, I run Luminous - a startup consultancy through which I work with mission-led tech entrepreneurs on achieving product-market fit. Last year I started Digital for Good, a UK-based volunteering community that connects tech professionals with charities. We have over 400 members and a bunch of active volunteering projects. I started my career out as a designer. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I was always heavily involved with tech startups, and after having my business acquired at 28, I realised just how uninteresting more success and money is. I was also really uncomfortable with where we’re going with technology. For the last year, I’ve been out searching for answers to many of these questions and despite all the negativity and fear surrounding us today, I believe that both business and technology have a key role to play in solving the world's biggest challenges. We just have to rethink how we apply them as the tools that they are to the problems we’re facing. 

Co-organising the volunteer hackathon for LGBT Youth Scotland. Photo by Jane Griffin

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

A friend mentioned the great work that Leyla is doing, and about a year later, I saw the online Disruptive Design Masterclass and just signed up. I saw it as a perfect opportunity to expand my understanding of the innovation process and learn the tools that allow us to steer it to create positive change. 

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

It was an incredible experience to work alongside and learn from really smart people from very different backgrounds and disciplines, all with a common goal. Leyla made sure that the content was full of value and engaging, and I’ve rewatched it and referred to it many many times since. 

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I came to the UnSchool pretty confident that I know all I need about the design process and may learn a few tricks, but the Masterclass provided hundreds of insights, big and small, into my process and has shaped how I work with clients and even what my plans are for the future. I developed a much deeper understanding of innovation. Seeing how Leyla and others are applying these tools outside my familiar digital context gave me a fresh outsider perspective on how I work. 

There were also many tools we rarely ever use in the tech world - like systems thinking and life-cycle assessment -  that I started experimenting with, resulting in great success. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Through Luminous, I am working with mission-led tech companies, basically helping them build the right product or service before they try to scale it. Together, we are shaping their vision and proposition to the point where a key group of customers really loves them. The mission-led element is key to the equation - only authentically-motivated founders are ready to do what it takes to build really great companies.  I’m also lucky to be involved with fascinating and rewarding work with my clients - from redefining vibrancy and belonging post-Covid, through building ecosystems for purpose-driven entrepreneurs, to disrupting the music creation process. The current pandemic has put focus on and accentuated many of the feelings and motivations that were 

My other initiative is Digital for Good, a community through which we connect people in technology with charities, founded at the beginning of last year. Since the beginning of 2020, we have run project cohorts where we form teams of volunteers to work with a specific charity on their top tech-related challenges. Covid had an impact on how we convene and collaborate, as we were primarily an in-person community all about building trust and relationships between tech and charity sectors. We’re still learning how to bring the full weight of that debate over to the digital context. 

Our Digital for Good volunteers ideating with YoungScot on their new chatbot. Photo by Steve Lloyd

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

Going through the Disruptive Design Masterclass has set in motion processes that expanded my vision for both the community and the consultancy. Gaining the depth of experiential understanding of the disruption process gave me an insight into how I could expand and grow my impact across both and has me set up and excited me for the future I’m building!

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

I have more questions than answers about this myself! How can I help more entrepreneurs build the right thing and build an impactful sustainable business? How can we impact more charities and help more tech professionals contribute through volunteering? There’s only so much one person can do and I’m constantly mindful of this. I am always looking for ways to partner with and involve more people in my work. 

Getting ready for a joint event with Product Tank. Photo by Andrea Blackie

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

You can follow what I’m doing on miloszfalinski.com and our community on digitalforgood.uk. 

Any other thoughts you want to share?

Every year, the world’s smartest and most trusted voices keep saying we live in an unprecedented and scary time. I used to submit to this narrative, but the more people passionate about change I meet, the more of an optimist I become. 

I believe it’s on us, the changemakers, to redefine this narrative around our future, from all the evil and injustice we need to eradicate, towards what we need to build. We live in an exciting time that will see us shaping the future of humanity for better, not for worse.  And we have all the resources and people we need to build a world that works for everyone. 

——-

If you want to join our next online Masterclass, you can still apply now for the November program. 

Alumni Vanina Howard: Ecopreneurs

Self portrait by Vanina

Vanina joined our San Francisco fellowship in 2017 and recently caught up with Leyla interviewing her for her new podcast series, The Ecopreneur Show.

The podcast episode comes out on Tuesday, Aug 25th, and you can listen to it here.

The UnSchool also recently caught up with Vanina to find out what she has been up to since the 2017 fellowship.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hey! I’m Vanina. I’m the host of a podcast called The Ecopreneur Show where I have in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs and leaders that are creating real life solutions for a more sustainable future to inspire us to take positive action in our own lives. I also practice sustainable and low-waste living out in Portland, Oregon. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

There’s a lot of negative news in the world of sustainability that can make us feel discouraged and unmotivated. My mission is create a positive, actionable, and safe space for people who are passionate about sustainability to be inspired and motivated to take action. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I went to school at California College of the Arts where I majored in fashion design and had a passion for sustainable fashion. I loved listening to TED talks on sustainability when I was working late nights in the studio, and during my junior year, I discovered Leyla Acaroglu’s TED talk, Paper beats plastic? How to rethink environmental folklore. She then became someone I aspired to be like. I even created her Wikipedia page! 

Then came senior year, and right after my fashion show, I was noticed by a well-known designer in San Francisco who wanted to buy my collection. It was the fashion designer’s dream, but it wasn’t mine. 

A year later, I left my position, unsure of what to do next and I then found a book called Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Essentially, it’s all about seeing your life as design and learning to create prototypes for your life. During this time, I also was constantly following The UnSchool’s work and was hoping that at some point they would do a fellowship in my hometown, the San Francisco Bay Area.

I started prototyping various career directions, and a couple months later, I discovered that the UnSchool was doing a fellowship in my hometown! I quickly sent my application. Kept my fingers crossed. And got in. 

The UnSchool San Francisco Fellowship

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

I mostly remembered my brain hurting so much! It was inspiring to be in a cohort of people from around the world who were much further in their careers than myself.  

Vanina and the other UnSchoolers share a moment

Mentor Antoinette Carroll and Vanina Howard

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Ship the shit. Send your product or hit that publish button before you think it’s ready. A lot of times we want everything to be perfect. But the best way to get feedback on how you can improve is by releasing it and getting feedback from your audience. Progress over perfection. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Interview with Chloé Lepeltier, blogger of Conciscous by Chloe. Photo taken by Daniel Montgomery.

The show has been running for  9 months now, and it’s been really incredible to have intimate conversations with experts that I’ve looked up to in sustainability, such as Kathryn Kellog from Going Zero Waste, who is also the ambassador for National Geographic for plastic-free living, Andrew Lacenere from Albatross, and  Emma Rose Cohen from Final. I want to continue growing the platform to be a place to inspire ecopreneurs (entrepreneurs passionate about sustainability) to live their most vibrant and purpose-driven lives. 

Interview with Chloé Lepeltier, blogger of Conciscous by Chloe. Photo taken by Daniel Montgomery

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

So when I was at the UnSchool, I was prototyping different careers. I was teaching at my school California College of the Arts, working at an art gallery, and trying out  podcasting.

I then remembered sitting in the bus with Leyla and she asked me, “What’s your superpower?” And for me, I realized that my superpower was always being positive. And it has stayed true and has been one my core values as the host of The Ecopreneur Show. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

There’s a lot  going on during the time that I am writing this — there’s the pandemic of COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and we’re in the middle of an election. It is very easy to be discouraged. That’s why I think it’s so important to focus on the things that are within our control and on the positives. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

You can listen to the show on any of your favorite podcast platforms by typing ‘The Ecopreneur Show’ or the website theecopreneurshow.com. You can connect with me on Instagram @theecopreneurshow. 

Any other thoughts you want to share?

Use your feelings of nerves as a compass that you’re pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and that you’re doing something that you care about. 

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Find out what happened at the UnSchool San FRANCISCO Fellowship, check out the beautiful video of the experience:

Alumni Isabel Chender: Sustainability Education & Graphic Facilitation

Isabel joined us on our third UnSchool fellowship program in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2016. Since then she has run her own immersive experience in the Amazon and traveled the world doing visual storytelling and a host of exciting projects. We caught up with her to hear more about what she has done over the last four years since she first joined the UnSchool community. 

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hello, my name is Isabel. 

I bring clarity through big picture thinking, most recently as an organizer of sustainability-based education programs and as a graphic facilitator. For the last two years. I have been living in rural Sweden, running the International Youth Initiative Program — a 10 month residential societal entrepreneur training for 18-28 year olds to find their authentic task and be of service to the world. 

In Sweden, photo taken by Per Ingvad in front of friend Rachel Ingvad’s horse painting.

My focus is on designing meaningful learning processes. We consider multiple ways of knowing and work on many levels at the same time: personal, interpersonal, and systemic. The teams I work with create environments for deepening knowledge and collaboration. We ask questions, use participatory leadership approaches, and surface collective wisdom through listening, conversation, creativity and action planning. 

In Colorado, Photos taken by Clinton Spence of Tara Mandala Retreat Center where I was graphic facilitating for a conference.

You can find me engaging in dialogue about social and environmental sustainable prosperity and shifting the way we see our opportunities and challenges. I'll probably mention disruptive design, systems thinking, anti-racism, complexity science and/or Buddhist mindfulness at least once — as well as llamas, Pantone’s color of the year, and a beautiful pair of pointy-toed shoes I just saw. I’ll be waving my arms, taking pauses as I speak, bringing out pieces of paper to draw shapes on, and probably trying to convince you to question who you are and what you are doing. In a loving way. 

In Colorado, Photos taken by Clinton Spence of Tara Mandala Retreat Center where I was graphic facilitating for a conference.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

What education do we need now? What form will allow this intention to thrive and create generative impact? How can we practically and lovingly work towards collective liberation for all beings? How can I live in sustainable cycles? These are some of the questions motivating my life and work at the moment.

I have a deep care for the world and human beings. Since arriving at YIP, I have become more committed to unfolding potential in each other as a way to create social change. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I had just moved to Sao Paulo for four months to work with a project called the Amazon Summer School in the heart of Brasil’s rainforest. This 21-day sustainability leadership education program builds capacities to understand, reflect on and take action in the field of sustainable development. People from all over the world come and fall in love with the forest and its people, gaining inspiration to step into a role of defending this forest for future generations. Everything I had been working with and studying was coming into practice with this work. 

I was curious about what, who, and how social innovation existed in Sao Paulo. I wanted to discover frameworks, mental models and design tools that could support our team to embed the scientific element of sustainability and systems thinking into our program in an elegant way. I had been working as a graphic facilitator and was missing the link between my artistic/facilitation practice and my academic background in Sustainability Systems Science and International Development/Relations. 

My friend Raquel sent me the description for the UnSchool Fellowship program and I kept nodding and saying “yes” as I read it, and so I applied the next day — before I had even realized what I had done!

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Fast. Thrilling. Colourful. Lots of information. Equal amounts of action. Deep conversations. Games. Notebooks full of diagrams. Challenge. Joy. Hands-on practice. 

As a process designer, I found new ways to express and deepen my practice. I experienced how  important design is to me and how many ways you can understand what this word means. The graphic design of the materials. The educational model and pedagogical design of the days. The Disruptive Design tools. Life cycle assessments, circular economy - elegant designs for thriving life. I was awed by the cohort of people. Getting to know each one was a gift. Not to mention the mentors, Leyla, and the fellowship hosts. It felt like it was one year and one day all at the same time. 

I also loved how connected to the city of Sao Paulo the program was and how much I learned about the city I was living in. Touring different areas, visiting different buildings and initiatives. I was captivated by all the different learning environments we were invited into.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Design is a social scripter that shapes the world. If we design conventions or spaces that invite a different  behaviour, we can change our systems and structures. I repeat this line that I learned there a lot now because it reveals a truth I feel is a needed medicine at the moment.

Human beings who are taken away from their contexts and  living  in oppressive, racist, growth-based systems  behave in ways that are not indicative of what people are capable of. People behave according to the systems that they are invited into. If we were part of  different systems, we would behave differently, in a more aligned way with what I feel our potential is as human beings. 

On a small scale, the way the environment is set up changes the way we experience learning. On a bigger scale, we see how this plays out in  movements for sustainability and social justice, as our system favors some ways of being and not others. We are being called to question our ways of knowing and how we know what we know. Who taught us and how. Why do we believe it? This connects to the idea of “unschooling” and creating new ways of learning.  

From the Fellowship, I took away a lot of questions and ideas about unlearning and how to invite people to participate in different ways of being to be part of  creating  different possible futures. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

It’s an interesting time to run an in-person international residential program for young people. Two years ago, I shifted from being a freelance sustainability and creative consultant to a full-time organizer and program coordinator, wanting to deepen my relationships by working with people and places over time. It has been a joy to work with co-founder Reinoud Meijer, Annie Meijer, and a committed team of educators. 

YIP was created as a response by young people for young people who wanted a different kind of education that allowed them to meet the challenges of today’s world from a practical, intellectual, social and emotional perspective. Our ethos is that we see the world as one interconnected system, and so we are connected to and responsible for everything. From this understanding, we work with the balance between freedom and responsibility. 

The ten-month program is composed of seven course modules: Global Realities; Inner Awareness; Collaboration and Community life; Initiative; Internship; Self-Designed Curriculum and Integration.  We move from the systems of our world, the “why” we want to take action to the “who” wants to create change. We then explore “how” to work together before diving into “what” area we want to work in and “which”skills, capacities and qualities are needed. 

YIP has existed in its physical form for over 12 years! At the moment, we are considering how we can maintain the in-person residential program we cherish while being adaptable and flexible to what Covid19 and its impacts are bringing us regarding the way our systems need to shift and how we need to be in order to support  freedom, health and safety.

In Sweden, photo taken by Maaike Verbanck, one of the YIP participants with the rest of YIP12 in one of our learning spaces - An Outdoor Experience.

Other initiatives I collaborate with are:  The Amazon Summer School in Brasil for sustainability leadership; Movement Vilnius, seeking to redefine physical culture; Fouta Harrisa, an incredible Tunisian company creating  beautiful products while providing livelihoods for local artisans and creating a sustainable alternative in the textile industry; and Brave Space Social Innovation, who I have been working with since before the UnSchool as a graphic facilitator. 

In Brasil, Photo taken by Odenilze Ramos during Amazon Summer School 2018 with all the friends, contributors and participants in the forest classroom.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The UnSchool gave me a set of frameworks, mental models and tools that enhance and support my work as a facilitator. I was part of one of the first UnSchool Educator programs and learned how disruptive design can support problem solving and working with complexity. This has been in the “background” or “blueprint” of a lot of my projects over the last 4 years.

I have used the handbooks, cards, and courses as resources for the participants I work with. Sometimes in my work I feel like a librarian ( in the best way!) — people bring up a topic they are curious about and I direct them to resources. Very often I direct them towards the UnSchool’s in-person programs and online resources so they can deepen their knowledge and activate their capacities for creating social change.

The whole concept of “unschooling” has been a red thread in my work since the 2016 cohort. At that time, I was becoming more aware that I wanted to shift my focus to education rather than consulting. The UnSchool helped me find the language to articulate what kind of education movement  I wanted to be a part of and has connected me to others in this field. For example, I invited Kalina Juzwiak (one of the other UnSchool Fellowship Participants) to be part of the Initiative Forum conference at YIP in 2018 and it was such a joy to work with her! If you haven’t seen her work already, follow her on instagram (@bykaju). She is a huge inspiration for me. 

In Brasil, photo taken by Odenilze Ramos as Raquel (who told me about the UnSchool!) and I are talking about systems thinking and asking questions about leadership.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

Like many UnSchool alumni and complexity scientists, I am a big believer in fractals. If you are familiar with the work of Adrienne Maree Brown (who wrote Emergent Strategy and Pleasure Activism), one of her principles for design is : Small is good, small is all (The large is a reflection of the small). In my work, I hope to create living examples of other possible futures.

I feel the best amplification is through relationships. If I imagine the different people I have worked with and learned from over the years, I think we all carry seeds of the work we are doing. Each YIP participant, contributor, local supporter, project team member, carries this into their future work. It’s interconnected. It might be invisible. I believe in it. 

Writing this interview is probably the most “visible” or tangible amplification I have taken part in over the last 5 years, aside from working with YIP’s social media, where I basically tell stories of what we are doing. So this is a step. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Subscribe for the YIP newsletter to hear more about what we are doing. 

Visit the websites of the initiatives I mentioned — read their stories and see how they are working with questions of what it is to be human and live sustainably. Here you can find YIP, Movement Vilnius, Fouta Harrisa, and the Amazon Summer School. 

Alumni James Sarria: Sustainable Agriculture & Low Tech Education

James Sarria joined us for our San Francisco fellowship in 2017. He is now the director of an organization that works on the SDGs with a Peruvian focus. We caught up with him during lockdown to find out what he was up to and how his UnSchool experience is helping him today. Read on to see what he’s been up to!

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I was born in the United States and recently realized my citizenship in Peru as a child of a Peruvian national. I now live there, where I am also a proud uncle and great uncle to five nieces.

My educational training is in urban agroecology and rural community development in Latin America. I currently live in Iquitos, Peru directing the Instituto Perucano, an organization in the Peruvian Amazon that I founded three years ago.

The name Perucano pays respect to my Peruvian heritage and highlights a target population in the Americas to intentionally engage for our work in Peru. Our mission is to facilitate access to professional development initiatives in careers that work towards the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development goals (SDG’s).

Our theory of change is based on the idea that once Peruvians are given access and resources for professional development training, they will drive new initiatives to achieve the SDG’s in Peru.

Instituto Perucano Sustainable Development Goals training with youth members (Selfie – July 2019 – Iquitos, Peru)

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Since I was 15 years old, I realized quickly that the educational system was designed for some people to succeed over others. This success wasn’t based on intelligence, rather on resources provided by your family and network to move towards professional goals.

Fundamentally, I believe that the best people aren’t always the one leading, rather the ones that have leveraged social capital and accumulation of wealth. As a disruptor of local and global systems, I will continue to maintain a high level of equity and inclusion in every space I encounter. Therefore, motivation is sustained and driven to continuously be a better version of myself every day.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

While on sabbatical from seven years of disruptive work at the Kapor Center for Social Impact - SMASH in Brazil, I stayed at the Yunus Negócios Sociais Brasil in Sao Paulo. During my time at the center, my friend mentioned that he had recently completed a program in Sao Paulo, Brazil with the UnSchool. There was an opening that he encouraged me to apply after I quit my job to focus on starting Instituto Perucano.

I was ready for a change in my life, and I had no idea at the time how important it was to embrace the disruption that the UnSchool was destined to provide. I was motivated by my friend's recommendation from my time in Brazil. After pouring my heart out to him about my future aspirations and work, he strongly encouraged me to apply for an UnSchool opening in my home city of San Francisco, California. I applied, was accepted, and the rest is history!

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The experiential educational model UnSchool employs is uncommon and something that I am familiar with from some of my studies in higher education. From ages 18 – 24, I traveled in Latin America and East Africa through the Friends World Program (now called the Global College of Long Island University), a bachelor’s level college degree program.

During my studies in Honduras, Costa Rica, Kenya and Tanzania, I participated in experiential based learning that required the development of many of the disruptive design tools presented during our intensive in San Francisco, USA. The difference is that when I was younger, I didn’t have many tools to facilitate my experiential education.

UnSchool was the clarity I have been waiting for in my life that gave permission to be the leader I have always desired from others. The tools that UnSchool provided in combination with the facilitation methodology allowed me to embrace the learning community. As a leader, Leyla and her team of mentors made it easy to trust the process.

James and other team members (from left to right: Susanne, Aleesha, Drew) in deep discussion during the SF Fellowship (photo courtesy of the UnSchool blog).

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Like any true learning experiences, many answers of the learning and knowledge we seek are right in front of us, within us. At times, I can be blinded by my own insecurities, doubts and limitations educational systems and society conditioned me to believe.

Once I was able to adjust my perspective, true learning experiences and processing of life experiences began to unfold. UnSchool helped me own my experiences and provided a platform and framework for me to continue building out Instituto Perucano in Latin America & the Caribbean.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

In 2019, Instituto Perucano received our first grant from the United States Embassy in Lima, Peru to support training in Sustainable Food Systems. The grant covered all expenses necessary for candidates to apply and participate in the 6 to 12-month programs. The grant is powered by Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture, and funded by the US Embassy in Lima, Peru.

Due to COVID-19, we employed a disruptive design approach to redesign the grant since global borders were closed.  We successfully redeployed funds and instead of only engaging 5 students for a grant to training in sustainable farming in the US, we are hosting 38 Perucano Fellows in Applied Agroecology in a virtual program in Peru. 

Another initiative is a partnership we have with the Nika Project, based in California, United States. Their mission is to support training in augmentative alternative communication for students with different learning abilities.  Volunteer teachers and speech pathologists spend their summer vacations traveling globally to lead, design and training teachers to create high-tech and low-tech learning environments for low-income students. 

In the summer 2021, Instituto Perucano will host Nika Project volunteers (teachers, speech pathologists, and students from San Francisco State University, USA) for an expanded training throughout Peru in Iquitos, Lima and Cuzco.  

Cindy Evans (Nika Project), Cathy Reategui (School Director, CEBE Iquitos). Photo Credit: James Sarria (selfie) - Location: Belem, Iquitos, Peru July 2019

Instituto Perucano has funded international travel to conferences and professional development training in human rights, education, agriculture and human health for Peruvians that have never traveled outside of the country.  The most recent included three lawyers that were funded to participate in the Sistema B conference in Latin America, which included a meeting of a coalition for environmental lawyers. These types of training have inspired other professionals in Iquitos to solicit impact funding for community impact projects.  

One current program initiative that stemmed from our work with the Nika Project at special needs schools is focused on creating a community education garden for students to learn about their food systems through hands-on workshops. 

There are over 30 special needs schools that we are developing plans to support. Our first planting took place at CEBE Iquitos right before a national quarantine in Peru, and since students couldn’t attend school, the plants were distributed directly to families for students to grow in their own homes.

Cathy Reategui Olortegui (CEBE Iquitos Director - front left) and Veruska Veintemilla (Instituto Perucano Regional Coordinator - front right) distributing sweet pepper plants in Iquitos, Loreto PERU July 2020

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The UnSchool brought me to a point in my life to evaluate my life trajectory. In order to accomplish my professional and personal goals, I needed to reorient my life path to be inline with my main goal, which is to hold space for individuals that lack opportunity but not ambition.

We create learning opportunities for individuals to develop professionally in order to realize their ambitions. Before I would fully participate, I had to experience this social change first hand. The UnSchool has played a fundamental shift in my ability to materialize my goals.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

I amplify change by sharing my truth with others and holding space where anyone can do the same. This is the evolving work of the Instituto Perucano.  Having a physical, proprietary space is one of our goals. Place has an important role in society. Work in progress.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

The best way is to follow our work on Facebook and Instagram. Our updated website is now live as of April 2020! Instagram – Facebook – Website

Any other thoughts you want to share?

I’m inspired by UnSchool’s founder, Leyla Acaroglu and her farm in Portugal.  My sister is the first person in my immediate family to own land and a house.  Growing up in public subsidized housing in the United States has shaped how I walk through the world. 

I long for a place to call my own, to be able to hold space without having to rent or while appreciated, rely on the good will of friends and family. My work is very personal, but I hope to be able to accumulate property and land someday to use communally for anyone that doesn’t feel they belong. 

Once someone feels like they are allowed to be themselves and given a place to heal and rest, it’s amazing to watch the power they self-generate. I strive to be able to articulate my perspective and theory of change like Leyla. Watch out for me ☺

Urban Farm project with Young Community Developer at San Francisco County Jail (Selfie – July 2018) - San Francisco, California USA

Alumni Abi Mapúa: Academic Innovation Incubation & Service Design

Abi joined us on the San Francisco Fellowship from Manila, Philippines. She is a social designer working to drive forward innovation in her home community and wider global network. We caught up with her to hear about her creative change initiatives and how the UnSchool experience has impacted her work.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hello, I am Abi Mapúa-Cabanilla! If I am to sum up what I do, I consider myself an environmental sustainability driver and social designer. Having worked at the intersections of academia, local communities and the private sector, I’ve had the opportunity to cross-pollinate various disciplines and facilitate co-creation of catalytic innovation.

These roles manifest in the two hats I wear: First, as Founding Director at the Hub of Innovation For Inclusion [HIFI] of the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde, a university-based innovation space that drives the development of academic-driven ventures, programs, research, and learning experiences for the triple bottom line of equity among people, planet-enriching, and profit-sustaining. 

HIFI social startup founders and Mr. Peter D. Garrucho Jr. (man in suit), donor of HIFI (Abi far left). Photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa (left).

Second, as Co-Founder of KindMind, a service design laboratory that helps individuals, organizations, and governments generate business value from the design of services and experiences that are meaningful to people and nurture the planet.

KindMind workshop with a major restaurant chain)on experience design of dining and customer journey mapping. Photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Being in a country (the Philippines) gifted with so many natural resources, biodiversity, and gentle people, it pains me to experience a hodgepodge of problems like the loss of habitats and biodiversity, erosion of our culture and identity, continued poverty and inequality, and the ultimate lack of systems understanding and political will to build our nation. 

This pain has been my pilot and motivation to continue working and build new models that will hopefully bring much needed change. Cliché as it may seem, I believe the Filipino is worth ‘designing’ for.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I found out about the UnSchool because I have been reading up on Systems Thinking, design, and changemaking as part of my work. I’ve been very intrigued about the tools the UnSchool develops and its whole mindset of enhancing the agency of each person for disruptive change. 

A lot of what I do with youth and communities is really about transforming mindsets and behavior — the work of the UnSchool resonates so much and this motivated me to take a chance and apply as a fellow.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The UnSchool experience in SF was a memorable one. Aside from the fact that SF is one of my favorite cities in the world, the program allowed me to see what other individuals from different fields across the globe are doing.

I learned so much from the rich conversations we had, that are not necessarily about agreeing. I love the fact that it did not seem like we were preaching to a group of converts but it was really about sharpening our skills to deeply understand contexts, listen, and learn to articulate perspectives. The UnSchool experience affirmed the work I do and fueled me to be braver yet more sensitive to nuances and systemic relationships.

Abi and her team during the San Francisco Fellowship. Photo from the UnSchool blog.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

That the future belongs to the brave.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Innovation incubation has often been synonymous with a myopia over specific product and/or service development and scaling to solve problems, instead of understanding the many factors surrounding our social/environmental ills. 

Abi: “Organised the first Climathon in the Philippines under Climate-KIC. We are first city enabler and Pasig City is the city host. With me in the photo is Pasig City Mayor (middle) Vico Sotto and Benilde Chancellor Bob Tang.” (Photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa)

HIFI programs have been driving the value of systemic change and the concept of sustainable proportionality rather than business scale at all time and at all costs. This can be seen in a number of youth-driven projects we support and help develop from the redesign of consumption to embrace post-disposable lifestyles, sustainable fashion, sustainable furniture, urban revitalization, and inclusive mobility to name a few.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The experience definitely enriched and transcended into the programs I create and run. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

As part of my service design, systems mapping and human-centered design research work with KindMind, I have been helping out organizations and government agencies look into leverage points surrounding the issues of climate change, disaster resilience, and marine litter in the Philippines (our country ranks 3rd in the world for both disaster hotspot and ocean plastics contributor). I would like to believe that the country is still in its nascent stages of awareness and action. 

KindMind workshop with a major restaurant chain)on experience design of dining and customer journey mapping. Photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa.

A major part of my work has been to facilitate conversations, deep dive workshops, and action towards a rethinking and redesign of production and consumption to embrace a circular model because there is huge business value and opportunities we can derive from it. 

Creating a platform that will allow me to work with international NGOs, private corporations, and government agencies who play pivotal roles and create huge impact, whether good or bad, is our KindMind way to scale change.

A few of the social startups we mentor and support: Sunny Po. Fruit cider drink from our indigenous tribes in the Mountain Province (photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa).

A few of the social startups we mentor and support: Kamulo. Furnitures made from construction and denim waste (photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa).

A few of the social startups we mentor and support: Ha.Mu. Wearable art made from fast fashion waste (photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa).

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

People and organisations interested in working with the academe on developing inclusive innovations may reach me via HIFI. 

If they would like to improve the way people live, work and scale impact through the design of services, experiences, and organisational processes they may reach me via KINDMIND. 

You may also ping me on LinkedIn!

Abi and her WIFI team (photo courtesy of Abi Mapúa).

Alumni Kunal Kanase: First Generation STEAM Learners

Kunal is an incredibly inspiring Alumni who joined us on the Mumbai fellowship in 2017. We caught up with him to find out how his UnSchool experience impacted his work in his community in India for teaching youth how to code. 

(Photo: Maker’s Asylum) Q&A session in Innovation Programme called DIVE (Design Innovation Venture Entrepreneurship) at Maker's Asylum, Mumbai

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I am a first-generation lifelong learner who happened to be born and brought up in Dharavi, India which is one of the largest slums in the world. I have focused my learning pursuits on Engineering, Arts & Humanities, Sciences, and Design, I work through online learning and multi-potentiality through Interdisciplinary research to solve problems of underprivileged and lower-income communities and to positively impact nature.

I had been involved in the Slum & Rural Innovation Project called Dharavi Diary as a fellow and manager of the learning space to co-create the community of first-generation learners through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math) Education. (A first-generation learner is a person who comes from a family where there has previously not been any access to education, and so is the first generation to gain access to educational content.) 

Facilitating kids' learning at the learning center, Dharavi Diary

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

“Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one’s full potential.”

- Abhijeet Banerjee, Nobel Prize 2019

I was born and brought up in an 8x12 feet hut with an alcoholic father, a depressed mother, and 2 siblings within a dysfunctional family in an underprivileged community in Dharavi where people struggle for the most basic of needs and survival is the main purpose of their life. My parents are illiterate, my father migrated from a rural part of India in search of livelihood and my mother was born and grew up in Dharavi as well. We belong to Scheduled Caste (officially designated group of historically disadvantaged people and depressed class in India).

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

- Max Planck, Nobel Prize 1918

I was the first generation in my family to pursue engineering studies, however, due to practical reasons and adverse & unfortunate situations in the family, I dropped out of my university education. In those challenging times, I discovered learning as a fantastic process to examine and understand the problems I was facing. I developed a passion to find the roots of things through research and critical thinking and became a hard-core MOOC-learner and now approach multi-potentiality through online learning to solve problems of lower-income communities that are unique and left unsolved due to many reasons. 

Kunal demonstrating VR experience to teenagers at one of the excluded places in Dharavi, Mumbai

I care for the good health and well-being of myself and others. Having faced those problems and living in harsh conditions, I have empathized with various issues that require knowledge from different disciplines to find solutions. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I have co-created the community learning space with 150+ students and 8 teachers from K to 12 over 5 years at Dharavi Diary where I was Fellow, Lead Facilitator of Learning, Manager, Coordinator, Teacher Trainer, Creative Content Designer, and Mentor and worked as a Lead Facilitator of Learning focused on experiential learning for STEAM aligned Sustainable Development Goals.

(Photo: Maker’s Asylum) While brainstorming in DIVE at Maker's Asylum, Mumbai

I participated as a member of the Dharavi Diary Scholar for the Mumbai Fellowship program in November 2017 to learn more about the design process, research, and systems thinking in the field of sustainability to advance my skills in interdisciplinary research and to collaborate with change agents from diverse backgrounds to create unique and impactful solutions.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Thrilling and adventurous! It was the first time in my life I collaborated with other humans to work on a project. I gained various insights, gained different perspectives, and learned fantastic tools for problem-solving in a rich, creative, and conducive environment which resulted in an amazing project over a period of 7 immersive days. The experience was so enriching and impacted deeply on me.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Leonardo Da Vinci is my role model and I always try to learn from him. I had a fascination for the man and his work but couldn’t find (read) much about him except his Wikipedia page. A decade ago, I had been searching for a text on him and one day found a book called ‘Think Like Da Vinci’. I was so excited to learn about him and enlighted with the ‘Seven Da Vincian Principles’ given by the author are Curiosita, Dimostrazione, Sensazione, Sfumato, Arte/Scienza, Corporalita, Connessione. I used to ponder a lot of these principles which eventually integrated into me. 

One of the seven principles, Connessione, means ‘A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems Thinking.’ I couldn’t see ‘Systems Thinking’ in action until I participated in the UnSchool fellowship where I learned more about it and how to use it in the real world. That was a fantastic experience and the main take away from the UnSchool.

The first night of the UnSchool Mumbai Fellowship (from the UnSchool blog)

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Since I had to drop out of my university education, I consequently fell into a depression and was traumatized for a few years because I had been so ambitious and had struggled a lot to get to go to college to start with. In those challenging times, I discovered learning as a fantastic process to examine and understand the problems I was personally facing. As a result, I developed a passion for finding the roots of things through research and critical thinking, tools I could discover through online learning. 

I am continuing the endeavor by learning on online platforms like NPTEL, edX, and Coursera to explore various disciplines to do interdisciplinary research. I have completed 20 courses which include subjects like SDG, Design Thinking, Positive Psychology, Innovation, Anthropology, Management, Futures Thinking, Cognition, Problem Solving, etc. and pursuing more courses on Linguistic, Psychology, Data Science, Architecture, Graphic Design, Soft Skills, Philosophy, AI, Creative Thinking, Programming, etc. I have also planned to complete Electrical Engineering and Computer Science studies to develop technical competency for innovation and problem-solving. 

Recently, I have worked on the project while studying Innovation for teenagers in slums who are prone to alcoholism and how to make them conscious about the ill-effects of alcoholism using Virtual Reality and Storytelling and looking forward to work on more such projects in the future.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

It all started at UnSchool. That was the first time I had ever collaborated with people from diverse backgrounds to solve problems faced in Slums. We worked on my case study of how curiosity can change the course of cognitive constraints and give breakthroughs. 

UnSchool and Dharavi Diary collaboration and systems thinking workshop day (founder Nawneet Ranjan on far right) from the UnSchool blog

The UnSchool Fellowship has ever since been helping me in my approach to facing challenges as I learned many tools and techniques to solve problems and find creating solutions. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

As a first-generation learner and with my complex historical and family background, I couldn’t get the opportunity to learn in osmosis with ‘learned and knowledgeable’ class of society and couldn’t be in proximity with people who can guide, encourage, support, mentor, share, collaborate to bring the best out of me to grow.

Social support and network are of paramount importance but I have been deprived of it as Dharavi is still backward in many areas despite being located in one of the most important metro cities in the world called Mumbai. Thanks to the Internet which is a blessing for learners like me who can get access to world-class education and meet/network people, communities, and organizations like UnSchool to learn from. I have a vision and potential to make an impact and need support, mentorship, and guidance to advance the efforts.

My coordinates are as follows:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kanase.Kunal

Any other thoughts you want to share?

I am grateful to the UnSchool and family forever!

———

During the Covid Crises, Kunal’s organization is raising funds to help feed families who live in Dhalvari.

Alumni Sri Iyer: Behaviour Research, Literacy & Gamification

Sri Iyer

Sri is social behavior change strategist, design explorer, researcher, collaborator and writer who joined us first for a DDM workshop in Sydney, and then later joined the team for our Mumbai Fellowship.

During the Mumbai Fellowship, she shared a session on gamification and ethical research with the cohort as part of the week’s experience. We caught up with her recently to find out what she has been doing since 2018, and here she shares her recent work.

Sri leading her session at the Mumbai fellowship

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I work at the confluence of behavioral research, design, art and writing. I do three things, all circling around society and human behavior:

1. I independently collaborate with corporations, startups, conglomerates, ministries and NGOs on human behavior transformation projects. I use behavioral science, design and systems thinking for this purpose.

2. I write about being social and am more interested in exploring everyday practices and taboo topics.

3. I create artistic zines related to wildlife and our practices with nature.

Sessions with Sri

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I am naturally curious about people and their practices. I am curious about why we do what we do. I find it difficult to operate without understanding self in such a manner.

I realize that these learnings from my curiosity can be constructively and disruptively put to use, to make ours and others' lives better. This motivates me to do what I do.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

My then-approach to problem solving was struggling to comprehend the dynamics of interconnected systems. I was, therefore, seeking to learn systems thinking, and I came across the UnSchool workshop in Sydney.

I liked the disrupting attitude of the school of thought and decided to learn systems thinking from the UnSchool.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Stimulating!

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

At the workshop, it was that systems thinking tools could be used single-handedly by an individual. They don't necessarily need teamwork.

As a co-host in Mumbai, it was a) the importance of identifying, acknowledging and managing group dynamics while facilitating, b) a peek into how to make group interactions experiential. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

The few initiatives I am looking out for are:

1. Gamifying training modules for industry/construction laborers and lorry drivers who are illiterate to semi-literate

2. An organizational experiential workshop intended to transform behaviors to being sensitive to self and other

3. Advising a team of architect-developers to design evidence-based built environments, so as to enhance well-being, creative thought and productive energy among its occupants

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

UnSchool helped me by giving me the confidence to play with big interconnected ecosystems. It has given me confidence and also helped me identify my process and style in designing experiences.

Whenever I use the systems maps or design experiences, Leyla's vibe rings in my ears. In a way, envisioning her motivates me and lets me know that I am doing it right.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

I’m still figuring it out. Meanwhile, I write about projects, processes and impact, and I attend some worthy conventions to talk about the use of behavioral science and systems thinking for problem-solving. Both are generating noise, conversations and network.

Prototyping session with Sri

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

I am an independent collaborator. I always welcome conversations and collaborations. One can approach me here:

LinkedIN
Instagram
Twitter
Medium

Inspired by one of my projects on adolescent sexual health, I am writing a book for adolescent boys and girls. It is aimed to be a reference guide for respect, consent, quality, self-determination and agency. I am seeking a mentor and/or funder for this endeavour!

Any other thoughts you want to share?

Most of my work is work in progress, and I am looking forward to where this is taking me.

Alumni Umang Sood: Future Proofing Real Estate & Co-Working

Umang and his team during the 24hr challenge at the Mumbai fellowship

We met Mumbai alumni Umang Sood in 2017 when he hosted our 8th fellowship at his cool new co-working space in Powai, Mumbai. It’s been a couple years since he went through the UnSchool Mumbai fellowship with 16 other wonderful humans, so we checked back in to see what he is up to, how his space is evolving and how the UnSchool experience has helped him make positive change. 

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I am the founding partner at Of10, a co-working space located in the heart of Hiranandani Gardens, Powai (Mumbai, India). I am on a mission to prove that any of us can champion ideas that change the world around us. 

Umang’s Of10 co-work space, formerly an unused gym that was renovated

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

We have seen too many good ideas perish simply because their creators are too scared to leave behind a traditional professional life to go against the grain and pursue their ideas. We have all personally experienced the monotony of a corporate job that confines people to a box and conditions them to believe that work is simply following orders and not pushing boundaries.

This is one of the reasons why I started Of10; here my cofounders and I hope to inspire millennials like ourselves by  showing them that there is absolutely nothing stopping them from changing the world. We hope to give people so much more than just a co-working space; rather, it’s a community that they can learn from, be inspired by, work hard and play harder. Good ideas and unconventional wisdom need to be championed, and we intend to promote the people behind them.

UnSchool Mumbai in the of10 space

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I found out about UnSchool when they were looking to find a venue to conduct their Mumbai event. The fantastic mission and vision of the founder and the dire need for the kind of work that UnSchool is doing motivated me to attend.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The experience was fabulous. From the highly engaging method of instruction to the planning and logistics, everything was top-notch. I think meeting people from different backgrounds from around the world was a fantastic perspective-widening experience for me. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and take a long hard look at the way I was running my business.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I learnt that everyone has the power to make changes that will save our planet from climate change.

Umang and Alumni Camila collaborating during the Mumbai fellowship

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Through Of10 I am committed to building an experience that is not only better for the planet, but also better for the people living on it.

Of10 before renovations

Real estate in Mumbai is notoriously unavailable and extremely expensive. I think building more real estate is NOT the answer, and instead, believe in better utilizing the current real estate in Mumbai, like by converting previously un-utilized or defunct spaces (dead spaces) to community centers and co-working spaces for small businesses. For example, our current office space in Powai used to be a defunct gym lying vacant for over 2 years. We came in and transformed the space into a state-of-the-art, profit-generating, co-working and events space. There are millions of square feet of dead spaces around the city Mumbai, and probably in many other cities around the world, whose potential is waiting to be unlocked. Throwing money and constructing new buildings is not the answer to Mumbai’s real estate problems. Instead, I feel we should future-proof real estate by creatively and sustainably making the best use of the resources at our disposal. 

Of10 co-work space now

We’re only as strong as the community around us, which is why our mission is to support the micro-communities which began in 2016 as a way for us to give back to the communities that support us. We only hire from the local neighbourhood, and all our spaces are designed by local architects, furniture makers and contractors. We believe in giving talented young people a chance. All the material used in our spaces is sourced responsibly from our immediate surroundings. Our mission is to empower the micro-communities we are a part of. No international teams, no national teams. There’s no need to outsource when our communities themselves have an abundance of talent we can tap into to create a space made by the community, for the community.

Most businesses in India are either riding the startup wave or catering to large enterprises; however, the future of the country rests on its small and medium businesses. So all Of10 spaces are built with the needs of these small business owners in mind. The only way for a business to succeed in India is through building better networks and working together. We are big on collaboration and bigger on events.

Working hard at Of10

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? 

I think UnSchool was able to give me a much more macro perspective on the problems we are trying to solve. What it taught me most importantly is how to think about a problem rather than just execute and ideate. It made me a better problem solver as a result. 

UnSchool has allowed me to make more actionable changes in my current business model so as to become an example for other coworking spaces to follow in terms of building a culturally and environmentally-aware business.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world? 

The creative arts are the backbone of a truly entrepreneurial community. At Of10 we have hosted experimental theater, music gigs, comedy, design workshops and even short film screenings. We give local artists a platform to showcase their talent.

India’s unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years, and the jobless rate stands at 6.1% in 2019. The demographic most affected by increasing unemployment is the youth. At at Of10 are committed to change that. The only thing the youth in India lack are the opportunities to prove themselves. We provide opportunities exclusively for people under the age of 25. After 2 years of being with Of10, we encourage all of our employees to start their own businesses.

My team and I believe in building better and more socially-responsible businesses, and our mission is to use our planet’s limited resources better and for better. We are committed to building a product that is not only better for the planet, but also better for the people living on it.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Our Instagram
Our Facebook
My LinkedIn
Come visit us!: Of10, Ground Floor, Prudential, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai 400076

Any other thoughts you want to share?

On a personal level, UnSchool has helped me realize that an optimistic approach to problem solving is way more effective when dealing with seemingly insurmountable problems like climate change. I am able to work through harder problems and iterate and resolve them. 

On a professional level, I am hoping to make my business, Of10, an example for an eco-conscious, circular economy brand, rather than just a profit-making enterprise.

———

If you are keen to have a unique UnSchool experience, apply for one of our 2020 programs here.

Alumni Suma Balaram: Service Design, Social Impact and Sustainability

Suma Balaram is a designer who joined us in Denmark for the Post-Disposable workshop that we hosted in collaboration with KaosPilot. Suma shares how the experience was deeply impactful for her, resulting in her establishing a new company. Read on as she tells us about how the company emerged and how she has put her desire to effect positive change into action.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work? 

Hi! I’m Suma. I am a Visual Designer with experience in branding, design research and strategy. I enjoy exploring different mediums of craft and illustration to create compelling stories that make a lasting impact. Currently I am based in New Delhi (India), where I work as a Visual Designer & Design Researcher at Purpose, where we build and support movements to advance the fight for an open, just and habitable world. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do? 

I strongly believe that design is a powerful tool to bring about change and solve complex social and environmental problems. My passion for the ocean and wildlife has a strong influence on my work. Marine conservation, waste management, renewable energy and inclusive education are a few areas I have worked on. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come? 

My Master’s thesis at Parsons School of Design in NYC — “Poly-sea: Phasing Out Plastic Pollution” — focused on creating a shift in both corporate decisions on plastic packaging and on consumer behavior.

Suma’s thesis

A friend of mine came across a workshop led by the UnSchool and Kaospilot on designing for a post disposable world, so we thought it would be a great place for us to learn about sustainable design and changemaking! 

What was your experience at the UnSchool like? 

It was amazing! It gave me a chance to learn more about what people in different parts of the world are working on when it comes to single-use plastic waste and sustainability in the apparel industry.

What I loved the most was how informative yet informal the collaborative discussions were. This enabled us to share our ideas and build on them. 

Emma leading systems mapping at the Post-Disposable workshop in Denmark

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool? 

The Disruptive Design Methodology, systems thinking toolkits and making great friends! 

Tell us more about your initiative, and how is it all going? 

The workshop gave me the confidence and sparked a desire in me to create my own studio. I founded an independent design studio in 2018 called “Say S” to communicate the value of responsible design and innovation.

S stands for Service Design, Social Impact and Sustainability. These three underlying factors are what the studio offers, through art direction, design thinking and experience design. It has been going well so far!

As I also work full time, I am selective about the projects I take on in order to ensure that I am able to give it my all. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? 

The workshop gave me the confidence and sparked a desire in me to create my own studio. Having a more holistic understanding of systems thinking, sustainable design and the circular economy, I am able to tackle diverse problem areas effectively. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world? 

I have made a conscious start by understanding which of my strengths can contribute best towards sustainable solutions in design and research.

Illustration by Suma Balaram

Illustration by Suma Balaram

Through design and illustration, I craft new stories for brands, products and experiences. Through ethnographic research, I use design thinking to implement change and increase engagement. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work? 

My Portfolio: www.sumabalaram.com

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumabalaram/

Say S Studio: @say_s.studio 

Wildlife Photography: thewilding_

Alumni Tim Leeson: Storytelling & Kombucha Fabric

Tim Leeson

Tim Leeson, originally from Australia, joined us on the Cape Town Fellowship and is involved in a wide range of work, from writing to design projects. His time with us at the UnSchool helped him take off the “band-aids” and reframe his approach to the great work he’s involved with.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

Hi, I'm Tim. My main role is as the editor and a board member of Gippslandia, a community not-for-profit newspaper that I co-founded a couple of years ago. I'm also on the editorial team of Good Sport and Make Running magazines, and a member of the thr34d5 ('threads') strategic design studio. Succinctly, my work involves storytelling and design-thinking, which I really enjoy.

Good Sport magazine

Make Running magazine

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Gippslandia was created in response to the announcement that a large coal mine was closing not far from my childhood home in Gippsland, south-eastern Australia. There was a pervading atmosphere of negativity in the community, on social media and in the press. The team behind Gippslandia felt that the region really has a lot more going for it and thought that a free, street press publication that only presents positive and innovative stories had the potential to change the prevailing narrative.

This motivation has evolved for me now, as I've come to better understand the power shared storytelling for all members of our community. My goal is to provide a platform for optimistic stories from our region that may have previously gone unsaid.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

Honestly, I forget how I initially heard about the UnSchool. It must have been through some fortuitous procrastination online. At the time, I'd recently finished a Master’s in Design by Data (computational design) and was reading more about systems theory. I felt that the UnSchool could provide a clearer introduction to systems theory and then assist me in linking my ideas around design and positive social change.

Also, South Africa is my second home. I believe in its immense potential, and the lineup of speakers that were involved in the Cape Town Fellowship was too good to miss for their ability to encourage this belief.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Challenging, inspiring and confronting. I still reflect on it often. Every night, I went to sleep buzzing with ideas, yet totally exhausted (but definitely not hungry — the food was epic!). The UnSchool team and their speakers did an incredible job of fostering a curious and inclusive atmosphere that seemingly allowed everyone to collaborate openly. For example, it allowed us (the students) to ask our mentors personal questions and for them to provide thoughtful and honest responses. This cut through the shit and meant that we could all have a richer experience.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

That you can make a difference.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

While everything is currently following a positive path, we face a battle to become financially sustainable for the future. Anyone that's ever dabbled in print publishing will understand that it’s largely a passion project and no longer your pathway to gold-plated toilet seats. Yet, you need your projects to make money because you need them to continue running to see the benefits — and you also need to eat.

Financial sustainability can help stave off personal burnout too. So that's our current challenge: trying to ensure the publications and the studio can continue to operate smoothly into the future.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

UnSchool helped solidify the passion behind the ideas. It also gave me more confidence in reaching out to different groups in our community. There were no longer any excuses for not trying to achieve positive change.

While it's not directly related to a specific project, my time with UnSchool and the skills we learnt assist in solving or exploring challenges every day. My approach has been reframed, as I 'get more comfortable' with problems. No more band-aids to things!

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

At a simplistic level, the decisions we've made allow us to produce more newspapers and reach a larger audience. I think the essence of the stories contained in the paper is more distilled now too, which hopefully gives them more punch. Not every article is going to change the reader's worldview, but as a growing body of work, they feel stronger. 

The work of thr34d5.org is expanding, and the increased credibility assists our applied research programs, such as shifting people's perception of clothing from one of consumption to that of care (our attempt at addressing 'fast fashion') or exploring how to reconnect people with the water cycle. Our voice is still small, but we believe in the value of pursuing our aims as a team.

Kombucha fabric

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

You can come to Melbourne or Gippsland and grab Gippslandia from a cafe or art space that supports us! Otherwise, please check out gippslandia.com.au and @gippslandia on socials.

Then there's thr34d5.org (similar on social media) and head to our Wikifactory page to get our new kombucha recipes, which you can use to grow your own textiles. goodsportmagazine.com and makerunning.com are great places to visit too. Thank you.

Garments made with kombucha fabric

Any other thoughts you want to share?

One of the coolest aspects of UnSchool is being able to spend time with a bunch of rad people that will inspire you!

Tim and the UnSchool Cape Town Fellowship

Alumni Zoë Palmer: Environmental Impact Assessment & Future Change

Zoë Palmer

We first met Zoë, an environmental scientist and “people person”, at our Cape Town Fellowship in May 2018 and most recently we reconnected when she came as a co-host for our Kuching Fellowship! 

Zoë feels at home interacting with others and believes in putting this social skill to work — as evidenced by her decision to join us at the Kuching Fellowship. We recently talked with Zoë to find out more about her new projects, how her first UnSchool experience helped her activate her changemaking abilities and what she sees as being important for activating change.

Introducing Alumni Zoe Palmer!

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I’m originally from a small academic town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa called Makhanda (formally Grahamstown). I’ve been living in Cape Town for the last six years, after graduating from Rhodes University in 2013 where I studied environmental science and economics. As a young graduate, I was fortunate to find a job quickly at global engineering consulting and advisory firm, Aurecon, as an environmental scientist. 

I spent the last five years there, working on environmental impact assessments and embedding change in the organisation through design thinking. In July 2019, a five year itch pushed me to resign and find something new to do. Just two months in, I’m still figuring what that means, but I guess the central theme is trying to leverage the opportunities I’m given through my social networks to challenge big lumpy systems by making my way in, and/or connect others to opportunities they might not have without a supportive network.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

In South Africa, every day I wake up it feels like there is work to be done. The legacy of Apartheid still lingers 25 years on, sometimes from a social perspective (e.g. racism), sometimes from a spatial perspective (e.g. in Cape Town the most marginalised communities spend roughly 45% of their income on public transport that doesn’t function properly). Every global challenge we face as a country is underpinned by the triple threat – high levels of inequality, poverty, and unemployment. 

As someone who has grown up with the privilege of feasibly earning in the top 2% of the country (±>$1200 per month) at the age of 28, it’s easy to get frustrated with the system and want to escape — it’s what so many people do. 

However, there’s a strong pull for me to stay, which is increased every time I hear a creative new way that people are responding to their own challenges.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I think it was 2016 when I first came across the UnSchool through the discovery (random Google search) of the illustrated Circular Systems Design handbook. At the time, I was just starting to learn about designing for innovation and was searching for more. The handbook resonated with me, so I quickly followed Leyla and The UnSchool on every platform and continued passively seeing what was happening on the other side of the world via my newsfeeds. 

As soon as I saw the call for applications to attend the Cape Town Fellowship, I knew I had to be there. I couldn’t afford the fees myself, so I asked my company to pay for it — applying via cartoon. and I’m extremely happy that they agreed!

The Cape Town fellows and UnSchool Team

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

It was quite unlike anything else I’ve ever been a part of. It was challenging, but encouraging, emotionally draining, but fun. It was inspiring and useful, especially in the role of a sparking some serious self-reflection. 

Being a facilitator, I most admired the way in which the experience was designed to create a safe and open space to challenge very deep, messy social systems like gangsterism, societal divides etc. Despite long and tiring days, we were kept sustained with delicious food throughout the week – there’s an art behind managing people’s hunger and energy levels, and it was nailed.

I’m sure I could go into far more stories about my experience, but nothing would capture it as beautifully and concisely as the video that was created.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I learnt many things from the different individuals in the group, and about designing workshop experiences. I think the key thing I learnt from the information taught was the concept of designing to disrupt a system vs designing for innovation. I think designing for innovation can be a great thing if you’re coming up with human-centric solutions to problems that affect the lives of many (especially those less fortunate than you), but often the process is heavily weighted on its role for making a company more money. 

I also always felt like sustainability was an added element to it – like a side optional feature; the Disruptive Design Method, however, embeds this in its core. I also really appreciate the level of responsibility introduced through learning more about unintended consequences and cognitive biases, etc.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

I’m working part time for the University of Cape Town (UCT) under the Vice Chancellor’s Futures Think Tank. Tertiary institutions are under pressure globally to change, and this is amplified in South Africa by student protests regarding fees and access from the last few years. UCT started questioning how they could better respond to change, and quickly learnt that they needed to take a leading role in changing the system, not just responding. 

My colleague, Abbas Jamie, and I were appointed in July 2019 to help the Futures Think Tank gain some traction and turn the thinking into action. We’re doing some agitating ground work this year, with the hope of creating something, like a multidisciplinary network of change agents across the university, that we can train up and use to catalyze change within the existing system. We recognize that it’s not an easy task, but we’re currently testing the waters and there’s some widespread support.

Zoe and her colleague Abbas Jamie

One of the projects that creates a neat centrepiece between my old job and my work with UCT is a design process that we rolled out with the Higher Education Facilities Manager Association (HEFMA). HEFMA is a network that connects 28 universities across Southern Africa via the facilities managers, i.e. the people who shape and manage the infrastructure on the campuses. At the HEFMA conference last year, a question was posed to the audience asking how they could ensure university campuses were more mindful of sustainability and the possible smart/tech solutions available to managing facilities. As a team from Aurecon, we designed four workshops over a year to carry this question and work towards a sustainability plan for each university. It was great to see how the process showed the importance of human-centric design in the layout of the precincts, along with the importance of sticking with a problem long enough to love it. We also challenged the notion of solving only a water, energy, or even waste problem, by demonstrating the business case for solving multiple problems with an integrated solution. I sound like a solid consultant here now, but I’m hopeful that it will lead to better designed campuses – and less waste!

The design community in Cape Town is bustling and very mixed. The city held the World Design Capital title in 2014, and has recently become part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Finding my way in as an outsider has been really interesting, and I’ve really enjoyed the approach that Open Design Afrika is taking in terms of changing the narrative of design as an ecosystem of products and things and fame and exclusivity, and rather demonstrating how the principles can be applied to everyday life, and that wherever you come from you can use design to solve problems for your basic needs. I’m supporting ODA a bit in the run-up to the Festival happening in October 2019. I love the feature that they’ve held free entrance to the main events ensuring accessibility, and also the way they promote the importance of the makers community. This year they’re also introducing a new concept called the Wetopia Academy in Cape Town, which brings together a range of “city-making” stakeholders. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The UnSchool Fellowship was mostly a personal development process for me. It unearthed a way of thinking that I hadn’t found anywhere else, and the global connections made me feel less alone. The network introduced me to a whole world of cool new ideas, like the Disruption Innovation Festival and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which inspired me to start looking for other opportunities in South Africa, and where they don’t exist, to create them.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

So far it still feels like I’m trying to work out what change I’m trying to make before trying to amplify it too widely, but I guess the easy reach is the mentoring I’ve been doing over the last four years. I feel that it’s all good and well for me to do something as an individual, and great if I can influence someone else to do the same. But what if I can spread it wider and teach what I’ve learnt too? 

I volunteer for two mentorship groups, Great Girls and the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, who both focus on youth groups. Great Girls focuses on high school girls (roughly aged 16-18) from two disadvantaged areas in Cape Town (Lavender Hill and Belhar) and teaches these groups the skills necessary to find meaningful employment after high school. We focus on female empowerment, getting into tertiary institutions, gaining skills for interviews etc, as well as skills that aren’t taught at schools in South Africa – introductions to basic budgeting, tax, and labour law. The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation has a bigger reach and focuses on developing high potential learners across the country to one day become entrepreneurs, hopefully contributing to job creation in the long term.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Directly is probably the easiest way. I’ve created a website at www.palmerish.com which has direct contact information and social media links. I’m hoping to share more stories on Medium in the near future about my projects

Any other thoughts you want to share?

Seeing as it was a one-off occasion, it didn’t really fit above as an initiative, so I might as well share it here… In May 2019 I was asked back to my high-school (that offers design as a high-school subject) to serve as their Designer in Residence. They wanted to know more about Disruptive Design! I knew then that it would be the perfect opportunity to team up with Tim Leeson, who was a fellow with me, and together we taught eight 45-minute lessons to students of varying ages. It was a fun and hopefully inspiring session where we introduced the basics of systems thinking and designing for change. I hope we managed to influence some of the younger learners to take design up as a subject!  We started each session with this video, which although a bit dated now, captures an important message about realizing the role you can have in designing the future.

Zoe and fellow Nehaa at the end of the wonderful fellowship week in Kuching,

The UnSchool Kuching Fellowship Recap

UnSchool Fellowship Number 10 happened in Kuching, Malaysia on the island of Borneo between the 17th and 23rd of November, 2019. The Kuching cohort included seventeen fellows from nine different countries (meet them here). Read all about the incredible adventure into all things systems change over on our fellowship blog >

Alumni Lourdes Martinez: Strategy & Innovation for Change

Lourdes Martinez

Lourdes, a designer from Peru, has come to the UnSchool a couple times, first joining Emma in Denmark for the Post Disposable Workshop, then Leyla in Portugal for our Educator Training on the CO Project farm. She also featured her work during one of the 2018 DIF sessions, as it is both fascinating and inspiring. We asked her to share her work and insights gleaned from the UnSchool with us.

Hi Lourdes! Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work? 

I see myself as an abstract human trying to create a positive impact in the world. Human-centered design and sustainability are both parts of my retina. Ah, and my closer buddies call me Lou or Lulu. 

Currently, I co-lead (along with two partners) Amable, a Strategy and Innovation Consulting Firm. In Spanish “Amable” means kindness; still, many relate the name to love ( ̈amable ̈ means lovable too). 

At Amable, we design digital and non-digital solutions for our clients using human-centered methodologies like Service Design and UX, which, combined with other frameworks like Disruptive Design or Systems Thinking, giving us the chance to enhance our users’ lives the Amable way. 

But more important than any of methodologies we use, the core and most important part of Amable is the 26 amazing humans, aka “Amablitos”, who work with us. It's because of them that Amable can accomplish its most important mission: make the world more Amable. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do? 

Change. This can be done in many ways — for example, by changing the mindset of people in a corporation, many of whom have worked for years (or even decades) without ever interacting with a client on a face-to-face basis. Enabling a way for people to connect by involving them in some rich human-centered and qualitative research sensibilizes them and completely changes the way they make decisions. 

Motivational bonus: having fun along the way and singing some bachata (or maybe reggaeton)! 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come? 

Google made the match! And I am so thankful. I was actually looking for alternative education related to sustainability and design, and I found the Post Disposable Workshop in Denmark last year. What can be more fun that learning what to do with trash?  

After that, I was part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s DIF Festival as a featured speaker with other UnSchool Alumni, and a couple of weeks ago, I attended the Educational Program in the CO Project Farm in Portugal (this was an out-of-this-world-experience). 

Lourdes with the Educator Training team on the CO project farm

What was your experience at the UnSchool like? 

Bold! The UnSchool team not only gives students unique tools, they also help every student in a very customized way to learn how to self-assess themselves. Once you start to know yourself, your strengths and your flaws, everything starts falling into place. Trust me, somehow it just happens. 

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool? 

Inspiration, always. I’ve been to two separate and very different UnSchool programs, and every time I come back home, I do it with a big smile, with lots of hope, and with a ton of ideas of what to do next. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going? 

We ́re very happy with what Amable as a firm and as a community has accomplished. We are giving a particular importance in education, as it ́s vital for all Amablitos to receive constant training and learn from each other. Also, leadership, teamwork and humility are qualities we encourage. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? 

The UnSchool has helped in two particular ways. First of all, methods like Disruptive Design are tools most Amablitos know by now, and they apply them in different contexts and projects. For me, it's a game changer as it can be used for different purposes. 

On the other hand, the experiential and instinctive way of teaching is something we have replicated in Amable. For example, by doing a team-leadership exercise like cooking pizzas from scratch. Or even with simple practices like sharing how grateful you are with someone you work with. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world? 

I believe amplifying change is something you seek everyday. Positive change can be seen even if you make someone smile, for a second. 

Now, my main sphere of influence is Amable, and as long as there is at least one Amablito trying to design a better world, I can put a check to this question. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work? 

Just send me an email, and if you ́re around Lima, I will be more than happy to have a nice Peruvian coffee. You can also find us in the digital world at amable.com

Any other thoughts you want to share? 

Sometimes small changes can totally improve your perspective in life — for example, being thankful every morning for having a new chance for making a kinder world. It doesn't matter if it's either through design, or just smiling to someone else.