Summerschool
Extra curricular
collaboration
Company
Max Bruinekool
Sofie Beekers
Daan Smits
Kennislab voor Urbanisme & Future City Foundation
C&A
B&E
T&R
U&S
In short
Together with 24 other young professionals, I participated in the annual summer school by Kennislab voor Urbanisme and Future City Foundation in Scheveningen. We followed a three-day long design sprint on how to best involve citizens in conversations about digitalization, and to provide a solution to this year's theme 'the dilemma of the city of the future'.
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Kijkje in de toekomst?
Together with Max Bruinekool, Sofie Beekers and Daan Smits we developed ‘Kijkje in de toekomst?’, a gigantic diorama in the public environment, in which visitors may take a look at the impact of technology in the future through a VR experience. This unique and confronting experience serves as a facilitator to start conversations on digitalization and the vision of citizens on this.
The value of a summerschool
For three days we worked together, learned together, and lived together. That makes a summer school a unique learning and networking experience. The steps that are taken in the Kennislab voor Urbanisme, are also taken in the summerschools, but under high pressure. This temporary high-pressure environment is a valuable learning opportunity as a designer to acquire effective decision-making skills and set priorities. The main question is defined and rapidly peeled down to a concrete final product. Being fuelled with inspirational guest speakers such as stakeholders or experts, and immersing yourself in the geographical target environment of a product, served as a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of closely empathizing with the target group and actively requesting the knowledge of third parties.
Learning points
Participating in this summer school has offered immense value. It provided a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in participatory design, where I could actively engage with real end-users to create meaningful solutions. By immersing myself in this environment, the learning experience became dynamic and practical. Additionally, the presence of expert guest lecturers allowed exposure to diverse perspectives and knowledge. Moreover, the summer school facilitated networking, fostering connections with like-minded individuals and professionals in the field. Overall, this immersive experience enhanced my skills, knowledge, and professional network, not only equipping me to create impactful designs, but also providing the opportunity to apply my thus far learned theory and skills from the ID bachelor in a real-life context.