#SeaHomeless
“For too long, the international development community has designed solutions to the challenges of poverty without truly empathizing with and understanding the people it’s looking to serve. But by putting ourselves in the shoes of the person we’re designing for, human-centered designers can start to see the world, and all the opportunities to improve it, through a new and powerful lens.”
Sometimes I get so occupied with certain things I feel like I neglect the great things that actual has happened in the past few months. I felt like this year really did fly by. It's rather scary how fast this year has been progressing. I cannot help but to still feel paranoid about running out of time. There are several things I want to accomplish before September comes: 1) Putting in my 2 weeks at one of my jobs and 2) Successfully finding freelance work if not, an internship or contract gig to strengthen my UX and web dev skills.
Back in May, I was accepted *last minute* into the AIGA Seattle Design For Good - Changemaker 2016 series. I mentioned last minute because I really wasn't expecting it. Granted. I applied last minute as well. I think I applied at 11:55pm the night of the deadline. I pretty much rushed through my application because I was trying to finish the application before my phone ran out of battery. I wasn't near an outlet at that time because I was longboarding somewhere along Alki Beach.
I haven't heard back from them for more than 2 weeks. No rejection email, no acceptance email either. In my mind, I was like "Damn, not even AIGA wanted to use my skills!". I mean, coming from a Political Science background, I give myself some credit for having an abundance of empathy and social awareness. When it comes to design skills, I am probably very amateur. I have management skills that I obtained from both my jobs, but I am not comparable to people who are legit project managers or strategists. Anyhow, two nights before the weekend workshop, I received an email indicating someone dropped out last minute and I was on the top of their waiting list. I was also scheduled to work the exact same time as the workshop. Well, to shorten the whole scrambling to find my shift covered. I worked it out. Even though I had to open the store at 4:30 in the morning, I knew this opportunity would be worth. I was eager to network with likeminded people. The Design for Good initiative is so amazing because it emphasizes on 'designing for social change' - which is exactly what I'm looking for - opportunities that would positively impact society through the lens of art and design (and of course, other skillsets and interest areas).
I ended up up with the nonprofit known as SeaMar Community Health Centers and from there, we were also placed into a team of 6 individuals from different backgrounds. Before I forget, the theme for the Changemaker 2016 series is "Homelessness in Seattle" (#SeaHomeless. They are mainly based in Mt. Vernon but they have offices all over Washington state. Currently, they are based in South Park but they are looking to expand into King County, which is what our little pop-up creative agency is working on. The pop-up creative agency is a result of the 2-day intense workshop of ideating and prototyping together. We even got our hands on some valuable interviews around the vibrant Pioneer Square neighborhood.
The project is ongoing. Right now, we have been gathering a lot of information through field research and interviews with relevant parties. The project is more time consuming than I expected. And I feel terrible because of how inconsistent my work schedule is. But you know, certain sacrifices would certainly be worth it in the end.
I cannot wait to see where this project is going to take us. I have been having a lot of fun really just going out and reaching out to the homeless community. I come face-to-face with the homeless community everyday on the way to work and even at work. Before we jump to conclusions, it is always good to lend an ear to hear out what they have to say. With the potentiality of further increases in the cost of living in Seattle, and decreases in affordability, I think it's time we all act together to address this issue. Like many other international development issues (namely poverty), it will take time but that shouldn't be a reason why we deter from getting creative with solutions.