Intergenerational participatory design with the local school community
Benedita Camacho · 2023
We have forgotten how to use our free and open minds, and creativity is no longer valued in the current educational system.The purpose of this research is to explore the benefits of intergenerational participatory design in an academic setting to develop new ways of connecting design education with local schools.The MyMachine case study highlights the importance of preserving the role of design in education and fostering creativity through Dream Machines.This collaborative, participatory design challenge, involved approximately 30 teachers and 900 students within three levels of education, led to a reflection on how design is taught, thought about, and practiced.The success of co-creation in a physical environment during the first two editions allowed two more editions of co-creation in a digital environment necessitated by lockdown.This led to misunderstandings that hindered the co-creation process.Nonetheless, this case study demonstrates the importance of intergenerational co-creation in participatory design, not only through the sharing of intentions, new insights, and skills, but also as a laboratory of emotions.