Sharing our skills

We were first introduced to the idea of the 'sharing economy' last year, when I joined the new Echo++ business accelerator on behalf of AzuKo. In exchange for a 6-week bespoke business development course, I was simply required to share my skills. 12 hours' worth, in fact.

“Echo puts a new spin on trading by using time as money... where every hour is worth one Echo.”

— Economy of hours

Sounds perfect, right!?

(Image: Economy of hours)

As a young charity, the idea that we could access such resources at no cost was a no brainer. We are constantly looking to improve what we do and how we do it. So I applied and was accepted, joining a diverse range of fresh and exciting startups.

The sharing economy is a socio-economic ecosystem built around the sharing of human and physical resources. Although the terminology is in its infancy, the concept is age old. Trading what you have for what you need. Although it's not quite that simple...

The first thing I learnt was that trading is tough. It requires that you put yourself out there, which can be uncomfortable. You have to say to the world, "This is what I can offer?"... and if no-one responds you can be left feeling a little deflated. You may have six degrees in economic theory and a personal reference from Obama, but if there's no demand, there'll be no trade.

Once your ego has taken the hit, you realise that you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. Think outside the box, look at the marketplace and see where you fit.

So after a bit of investigation and the *occasional* coffee and cake debrief, I began my journey into the sharing economy. I worked at events, offered opinions at focus groups and supported other startups in taking the next step to scaling up. What I hadn't bargained for, was that I would be growing my own network and that of AzuKo... naturally.

After a few months, I wanted to tailor what I was offering so I could get the most out of it for AzuKo, and potentially develop areas which would add an income-generating arm to the charity.

Think - workshops!

As an architecture charity that champions participation, we regularly run workshops and training sessions with our beneficiary groups. Could we rethink the output, and provide a learning environment for startups too? But what are they in need of and how can we help? What is the common denominator?

Marketing. It's an essential component of every business, yet many nonprofits and enterprises are unable to afford expensive design services during those early years. If they knew the basics and had the right tools to hand, they could fly.

So over the last month, we have been working with Echo to create a new workshop, 'Photoshop & InDesign: for Beginners'.

(Image: AzuKo)

Last night we held part one, with the support of four Adobe professionals within the Echo marketplace. Following an introduction to Adobe CC, we provided an insight into what the software can do and discussed basic design principles that everyone should consider before embarking on a project.

We then moved onto a live design exercise, taking participants through step by step to produce an attractive and polished poster as marketing material.

(Photo: AzuKo)

(Photo: Economy of hours)

In part two of the course, we'll be offering 1:1 tutorials, to enable participants to work on a specific project for their organisation.

As always, we'll be keeping a close ear on what the participant's think, and will try to unpack what impact these workshops have. Here's what they've been saying:

“I found the overall presentation and introduction of how the programs work together extremely useful, alongside the practicalities of how to design a poster. The presentation was well structured and well-paced.”

"The handout with shortcuts is fab. Thank you Jo and team."

"I thought it was a great session and I really appreciate the patience. It was a very good introduction to the tools, which we can then use to practice."

"I found it very useful as a beginner in PS + ID. The people assisting helped tremendously and provided great hints and shortcuts. Was a great session to get me started... thank you."

If you're interested in learning the Adobe basics and getting to grips with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for your nonprofit or business, do get in touch. We're also developing a new hands-on introductory workshop in human-centred design... putting people first in your design solutions. Stay tuned.

Long live the sharing economy!

Read about workshop two.

Author: J. Ashbridge

International development conference

AzuKo hosted a stall during this year’s International Development Society (IDS) conference, ‘Looking Back, Moving Forward’ at Newcastle University. IDS is an entirely student led organisation which aims to raise awareness of global issues and ensure they remain on the university and public agenda. The focus was on Millennium Development Goal achievements and the next steps for poverty, health, equality and sustainability...

(Photo: AzuKo)

There was a lot of interest in our promotional material and it was equally fascinating to hear the experience of other NGOs including Engineers Without Borders UK, Greenpeace, International Voluntary Service, Christian Aid, FairTrade, Positive Money and Volunteer West Africa. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) "form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest." - United Nations

In the latest report, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General states that,

“the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives. Global poverty has been halved five years ahead of the 2015 timeframe…

but more needs to be done to accelerate progress. We need bolder and focused action where significant gaps and disparities exist. Member States are now fully engaged in discussions to define Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will serve as the core of a universal post-2015 development agenda.”

One of the highlights of the event was Sophie Verbis' lecture, ‘The SDGs and Post 2015 Debate - the Current Stand on Education'. Sophie (from GIZ) outlined the progress of the Open Working Group, with a particular focus on education. One of the key elements of the SDGs is the three year inclusive process employed to develop the goals which are designed to leave no unfinished business - everything should be complete by 2030 and the targets should be specific. 

Currently, the Open Working Group proposal is for 17 main goals (goal 11 - make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable), further subdivided into measurable aims. Within these goals, specific and measurable targets are proposed such as:

• By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

• By 2030, increase by [x] percent the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

• By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and aff­ordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

• Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilising local materials

Monitoring, transparency and evaluation are given more weight within the MDGs, although it has not yet been specified who will monitor them and, if countries don’t comply, what are the consequences? Another criticism rests on targets which focus on quantity (x%) rather than quality. Typically funding streams demand these performance based objectives. In Tanzania for example, health visits reached the 100% target yet each visit lasted only two minutes. The focus remained on quantity and outputs, not the quality or outcomes for people. This raises the question as to whether we are setting ourselves up for failure in 2030?

We should be measuring what is valuable rather than valuing what is measurable. 

Other key speakers included Konstantinos ‘Kostas’ Kazakos, Research Associate in the Digital Interaction Group at Culture Lab and Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences who beamed in from Delhi to discuss Self Organised Learning Environments.

It was a jam packed weekend and I'd thoroughly recommend signing up to next year's event!

Author: C. Russell

Think equality

The face of equality takes many forms... political equality, equality of opportunity, treatment, membership and perhaps more controversially equality of outcome. If this state of being equal is a core value in the democratic tradition, does it follow that the responsibility to achieve it lies in a collective determination?

How then can the architectural process contribute, indeed should it seek to?

(Photo: J. Ashbridge)

Once hailed as a master craftsman, an age of humility is dawning. The role of the architect continues to evolve and a growing underbelly is challenging all we hold to be true. Has the profession focused on providing design services for the top percentile for too long? Can the sector reclaim a sense of social responsibility and if so what methodologies should be celebrated?

Architecture, good architecture, is not about the end product. It is not about a series of components eloquently assembled. It is the life that pervades around it and the sense of community created in and through the design thinking, which brings the object to life.

A shift in process is required. The power of architecture can be realised if citizens take ownership – the architect as the facilitator; the client as the agent of change.

The architectural process begins well before pencil meets paper. Engagement with the end user is essential to understanding real needs. In Mumbai for example, non-governmental organisation SPARC seeks to mobilise pavement and slum dwellers, equipping groups with the tools they need to articulate their concerns and create collective solutions. The once invisible urban poor are supported in direct negotiations with the government, cementing their right to the city.

Early design development is all too often resigned to brief discussions and back of house iterations. A human-centred design approach incorporates a myriad of tools, which bring architecture back to the public domain and in doing so support capacity building. For example, community workshops running in parallel to the design journey are a key aspect of SAFE’s work. This small Bangladeshi organisation strives for replication of improved construction techniques in an area on the frontline of climate change. With limited funding, their projects will only be successful if information is disseminated widely, if ideas are presented in a culturally sensitive manner and if the local population chooses to engage. It is not enough to provide a handful of families’ access to adequate shelter. The vision must empower the wider community.

Similarly, the construction phase itself provides an opportunity to leverage the local economy and offer a level playing field irrespective of ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality or disability. How can we fail to be inspired by the achievements of MASS Design Group’s master mason Anne Marie Nyiranshimiyimana in Rwanda or Orkidstudio’s construction worker Hellen Nyambura Kamau in Kenya? These women fly in the face of disparity.

The potential of architecture is not limited to traditions taught in school. Those who think outside the framework see a new way. True collaboration will allow us to break through the walls and expand the definition.

Think beyond the building. Think equality.

Author: J. Ashbridge