Launch of MyWorld on the 17th of January

Child labour or fun project?
Dutch furniture ethical designer

New co-working space in Nairobi,
the place is bubbling!

Coming up – Social Cities of tomorrow
17th of Febrary

Fenja’s foto from Pakistan,
for peace campaign research

Here are some links we are checking out for inspiration

All going well we’d like to host a co-creation workshop on this with a number of designers, AR folk, urban space activists etc to see if we can conceive an experience to raise awareness.

Een slide show from Kars (friend of joris) about the future of games in the city
http://www.slideshare.net/kaeru/game-design-the-city-best-scene-in-town

Game layer video door Seth Priebatsh:
http://www.extendlimits.nl/nieuws/artikel/game_layer_de_opvolger_van_social_media/

Scavenger van Seth:
http://scvngr.com/

interesting group, have a workshop coming up 10 July about mobile storytelling:
http://www.setup.nl/content/workshop-mobile-storytelling

Tijmen
http://www.netniet.org

Interview at the European Lab for Culture
title: Inspiration by example

Interview with Sophie Koers for the book ‘Practical Idealists’
title: Serious Toys (Dutch)

WE Magazine – collective action
Title:  To engage means to Create

Review: Using 10 Tactics in Cambodia

Slide Share presentation from Better World by Design
Titel; Designing Solution Networks

Article: Butterfly Works in 2020 (Dutch)

www.butterflyworks.org

We are creative minds who use design for social change. We work in emerging economies because we believe in undiscovered potential. Through serious media, social branding and experiential learning we share knowledge, trigger creativity and build sustainable businesses.

GetH2o (Get water) Game, a serious game ( in both board and mobile phone formats).
It contains a simulation of the complexities of life in an informal settlement, including the total shortage of all resources and all the accompanied social ills. To win the game you have to build 6 houses, for you and your extended family and keep enough water for all your houses. Through playing the game one learns that the only way for all to progress is though a combination of community good acts and individual gain.

It is both board game to be played by a group live and a mobile phone single player game. We are due to launch next week. Then you can download the game from our portal.
I’m really excited about it’s potential to make a broad range of topics up for discussion and insights ranging from human rights, corruption, social ills and the importance of communities.

Website www.geth2ogame.com

Facebook Group

Developing Talents

What started out with curiosity and a wish to share skills with those who had a story to tell, we founded NairoBits in 2000. Now almost 10 years later it has become something of an emporium of great projects, people and offshoots. It’s hard to describe the impact that this has had on all the people who have been involved. Mark Kamau’s Tedx Amsterdam speech does a good job of telling the story and I am thankful to him for that.

Mark Kamau, former student, now trainer

Web: www.nairobits.com
Blog: www.nairobits.wordpress.com
Alumni: www.nairobitsalumni.ning.com

Putting the spotlight on peace makers

This online and sms competition called on the Kenyan public to vote for as yet unknown local peace heroes. Those who had helped others during the post-election violence or promoted peace in whatever small way.
The 10 winning heroes received prize money and their photo and story in the national newspaper. It really gave a positive vibe after all the horror people experienced and put the spotlight on those who put themselves at risk to help their fellow man or woman.

Web: peaceheroes.ushahidi.com

Building Bridges, 2010

This is the follow up campaign to ‘Unsung Peace Heroes’ a similar concept only this time we are looking to award peace initiatives that build bridges across communities in an effort to create lasting social cohesion. This is due to launch in April 2010 It will make use of 10 different media platforms in order to really reach out to as wide an audience as possible, with the motto “Peace pays’ We will use, web, sms, mobile web, radio, TV, flyers, live meetings, facebook, U name it.

Web: www.buildingbridges.co.ke

The story of the lost ring

Actually these are also projects as I worked with children to create them.

I Live Here! and You?
Masai lands, Kenya, 2007

I Live Here! and You?
Fes, Morocco, 2009

A series of children’s book about their lifestyles drawn by children for other children. Making the books was once of the best experiences, working with the children, even though we didn’t speak a shared language, drawing day in day out. The books have been sold in bookshops throughout the Netherlands with the profit going back to the children’s communities.

All the animals

Website about book

Countries: Kenya, Morocco, Netherlands
In the make: Suriname

Participatory Learning for teenagers

These are all programs in which I led the co-design process with (inter) national parties, designed much of the contents, most of the total learning experience, trained master trainers, teachers and facilitators to work with it and programmed the systems.

The World starts with Me

A complete sexual and reproductive health course for teenagers, originally co-designed with and for Ugandan youth in 2003, it has since been adapted for Vietnam, Cambodia, Kenya, Indonesia and Thailand.
Recently named as a best practice in sexual health education by UNESCO and forms the basis for the guidelines for the development of new curriculums on this topic world-wide.

Program: www.theworldstarts.org (Ugandan version only)

Learning about Living

Virtual peer educators

This is a cross media program which supports the Nigerian national curriculum on HIV/Aids prevention and life skills. It runs in schools throughout Nigeria and has also been adapted for the Islamic North of Nigeria. It is fueled by animated peer educators and interactive activities for student and teacher, clearly documented and designed for ease of use. There is an accompanying DVD to guide teacher’s who not used to either computers or interactive teaching methodologies in the classroom.

To support the program and the difficult life questions that come up there is a free sms question and answer service and a telephone hotline service.
There are 15 main partners in this program.

Countries: Nigeria (South and North)
In the make: Senegal
Being discussed:  Morocco, Mexico, Burundi,

Program online: www.learningaboutliving.org
YouTube Video

Words over Weapons

An experiential, digital learning program on conflict prevention for young people in South Africa.
Used in schools in co-operation with the department of education in Johannesburg, Soweto and Pretoria. Included an online exchange program with schools in the Netherlands in 2007,8 through the making of comic strips online.

Program online: www.wordsoverweapons.com
Comic Maker Video