Design for Change

logo

Website

http://www.dfcworld.com/

Countr(ies)

Global, founded in India

Grade Level of Students Participating

K-8

Number of Students Participating per Year

Approximately 286,000

Year Organization Began

2009

Relationship to the public education system

When Design for Change (DFC) started in India, they introduced the one-week Design for Change challenge in local public schools. Today they offer a curriculum about Design Thinking and civics education in public schools and collaborate with local education authorities in recruiting new schools to participate in their programs and in curriculum development.

Organization's Vision and Mission

Design for Change equips children with the tools to be aware of the world around them, believe that children play a role in shaping that world, and can take action toward a more desirable, sustainable future.

Brief Description of Program Activities

DFC cultivates young peoples’ belief that change is possible through the following program activities:

  1. DFC provides a free, flexible toolkit of a 4-step design process of Feel-imagine-Do-Share (FIDS). (Toolkit PDF link here.)
  2. Teachers receive professional development services and use the toolkit with children in their classrooms to author projects to create change.
  3. Design for Change Curriculum (for Grade 8): A yearlong curriculum that extends the weeklong experience. The curriculum is delivered through 60-minutes, once per week sessions at schools. It has been piloted in 64 schools in India since 2014. Through activities such as hands-on projects, scenario-based role-plays and design thinking, children develop Feel-imagine-Do-Share competencies.
  4. The one-week "Be the Change Conference" brings together young people from across the world to showcase their stories of success. In the most recent event, 500 young people from 22 countries participated.

Program content: Intrapersonal Competencies 

Through fostering design thinking and the “I can” mindset, DFC encourages children to become change agents and take initiative. It targets the interpersonal competencies of ethical behavior, responsibility, self-direction and citizenship.

Program Content: Interpersonal Competencies

The “Feel” and “Share” component of the FIDS toolkit and curriculum invites children to empathize with people who are affected by the problem they try to solve. Children also develop the interpersonal competencies of collaboration, leadership and communication in the process of solving problems.

Program Content: Cognitive Competencies

Children develop problem solving, critical thinking and creativity skills during the process of creating change.

Program Content: Attitudes and Values

“I can” mindset, community engagement, responsibility, active citizenship.

Program Content: Pedagogy/Active Engagement of Students

The program engages student through actionable thinking routine and starts from issues in students’ immediate surroundings in daily life. The key pedagogical features are hands-on activities and collaboration with others. 

Reference list

1All information from this table come from DFC's website and phone conversation with founder Kiran Sethi and DFC Global Coordinator Nivedita Menon in May 2016).

Notes prepared by

Vincent Chunhao Qian