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Make Shape Change

A Film, Website and Schools' Programme

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Make Shape Change is a project to get young people thinking about how the world is made around them and where design fits in. It’s grown from a film to a website to schools' programme.

The Film

In 2012 PIVOT started a collaboration with director Johnny Kelly, designer Scott Burnett and creative audio studio Antfood to produce a simple animated film with the aim of explaining what design is, as a great way to expand the conversation, providing a way in for the wider public. The challenge was to show what design is, and why it’s important in a way that could be understood universally, so without language. Simple. After exploring several ideas the team did the only sensible thing and decided not to focus on design at all.

The Schools’ Programme

Working with Junior Achievement Ireland, an international organisation that encourages young people to remain in education and help them develop the skills they need to succeed in life, we’ve produced a workshop programme called The Power of Design (please see design guidebook below). The workshop is based around the Shape film and Make Shape Change website and invites young people to:

  • Consider how the world around us is made
  • Understand where design fits in
  • Learn about careers in design
  • Explore what they would do if they had the power to make their world work better

We did a call out for Dublin designers in all disciplines to facilitate the workshops and got an overwhelmingly large and positive response.

We held our first pilot Power of Design workshop on 24th February 2015. Designers Susie Lynam and Sara Santarelli facilitated 6th class at St. Audeons National School Cook Street. Two more pilot workshops took place on 25th February and 14th April with designers Noelle Cooper and Siobhán O’Keefe hosting 1st years in Mount Carmel Secondary School Kings Inn Street and St. Paul’s CBS Secondary School.

Eight schools are on board for workshops in May and June 2015. These are:

  1. Dublin 7 Educate Together National School
  2. Warrenmount Presentation Convent Secondary School
  3. St. Mary’s Primary School D7
  4. Cholaiste Mhuire D1
  5. St. Paul’s C.B.S. Primary School
  6. St. Paul’s CBS Secondary School
  7. Rutland St. National School
  8. St. Patrick’s National School Chapelizod

A BIG thanks to our volunteer designers Danielle Townsend, Hannah Fleetwood, Audrey Kieran, Maeve Keane, Aoife Farrell, Vanessa Fay, Sara O’Dea, Darragh Lynch, Maryrose Simpson, Carol Boland, Jess Lockhart, Orla Reynolds, Emma Conway and Steven McNamara.

269 young people are taking part in the first phase of the programme. Our aim is to take the programme nationwide to help spark the imagination of Ireland’s future designers.

The Power of Design Guidebook

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