How Design Thinking Can Empower Young People
At People Serving People, a homeless shelter in Minneapolis, local design firms and educators work together to show kids how design thinking can help them make a difference in their neighborhoods.
Edutopia's new series profiles young people who are making their learning more authentic by taking it into their own hands, on their own time. This series is produced by Mobile Digital Arts and Twin Cities Public Television, as a companion to an hour-long PBS special that is now available to watch.
More Resources on Design Thinking
- BLOG: Design Thinking: Lessons for the Classroom
Edutopia Director of Programming and Innovation Betty Ray presents a simple yet elegant strategy to bring real-world thinking into the classroom.
- BLOG: Design Thinking Meets a Community Action Project
Jeanine Harmon, Director of Community Outreach and Service Learning at Park Day School, describes a middle school community action program driven by the principles of design thinking.
- BLOG: Five-Minute Film Festival: Design Thinking in Schools
What is design thinking, and how is it useful in educational settings, for both students and teachers? VideoAmy's playlist of clips explores the topic.
Minneapolis-based People Serving People is a non-profit whose mission is to provide services to assist families experiencing homelessness in becoming self-sufficient and reconnected with their community. People Serving People established a D3 Lab (Dream It, Design It, Do It) in 2012 for teens. The D3 Lab challenges young people to be problem solvers, innovators, risk-takers, and makers as they develop projects that are meaningful to them. Keep up to date with People Serving People on Twitter.
Visit the Is School Enough? series page to see more videos on informal learning.