{"id":941,"date":"2023-04-28T14:37:25","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T18:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/commonground\/?p=941"},"modified":"2023-04-28T14:42:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T18:42:09","slug":"regenerative-design-for-changemakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/commonground\/2023\/04\/28\/regenerative-design-for-changemakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Regenerative Design for Changemakers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\"\"<\/p>\n

Image via Regenerate Change Facebook Page<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the weekend of April 22nd-23rd, Abrah Dresdale of <\/span>Regenerate Change<\/span><\/a> led Bard students, staff, and surrounding community members in their training \u201cRegenerative Design for Changemakers.\u201d Participants designed a changemaking project of their choosing, ranging from homestead building to curriculum design to the creation of safe spaces on campus, during the <\/span>social design lab<\/span><\/i> portion of the training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abrah defines Regenerative Design as \u201capplying the intelligence of nature to shaping societal systems big and small.\u201d This approach includes whole systems design thinking, a regenerative paradigm (as shifted from exploitation paradigms), the healing of personal and societal trauma, and ecological principles paired with a social justice approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

In times of urgent issues such as climate change, mass incarceration, and public health crises, Abrah asks, \u201cwhy do we slow down to design instead of moving straight into action?\u201d and provides examples of the necessity of intervening in systems thoughtfully so that we may engage with change intentionally rather than following reactive impulse. We need <\/span>time<\/span><\/i> to have freedom to engage creativity and contextual conditions and to consider and weigh multiple possibilities. This is one primary expression of liberation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abrah reminds us that the gift of \u201cthe weekend\u201d apart from the work week comes from Islamic, Jewish, and Christian practices of the sabbath, and was implemented by labor unions. This cultural invention is one example of slowing down to reflect and integrate, then take action with more intention. Space for imagination allows us to design outside of what we are taught is possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are all designers:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We all go through design processes on a daily basis, with everything from choosing an outfit to crafting a social or work event. By making our inherent design processes <\/span>explicit<\/b> and conscious rather than implicit and subconscious, we come from a place of power to create and continuously evaluate and re-evaluate our thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

The process as described by Regenerate Change in their programming, and in Abrah\u2019s book <\/span>\u201cRegenerative Design for Changemakers,\u201d<\/span><\/a> is as follows, with examples pertaining to Abrah\u2019s collaborative experience of the creation of the <\/span>Jail-to-Farm-to-College & Employment<\/span><\/a> program in Massachusetts\u2019 Franklin County Jail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

IMAGE FROM FORTHCOMING REGENERATIVE DESIGN FOR CHANGE MAKERS GUIDEBOOK \u00a9<\/em>
\nBY ABRAH JORDAN DRESDALE, MA<\/em><\/p>\n

Context:<\/b> Locate your project in physical, political, and social contexts. What are the key social and ecological conditions or patterns that surround your project? The context generally includes the \u201c4 P\u2019s,\u201d including <\/span>P<\/b>eople, <\/span>P<\/b>lace, <\/span>P<\/b>ower, and <\/span>P<\/b>aradigm.<\/span><\/p>\n