‘Keeping Connected Design Challenge’
Year 10
Unit 3: Design and Communication
Hunterhouse College has been chosen as one of fifteen schools in Britain to take part in a unique challenge – to work with a professional designer to develop innovative new approaches to help older people stay better connected to their communities and younger generations.
The school will work with Belfast-based designer Colin McKeown, who will help students use their creativity and technology know-how, and also help them to work directly with older people to understand their life experiences, challenges and wishes. Together, they will develop innovative concepts and ideas for services or systems that use technology to help older people stay connected to younger people, family, friends and the wider community.
The ‘Keeping Connected Design Challenge’ was developed jointly by the Technology Strategy Board in partnership with the Design Council to tackle attitudes and assumptions around older adults aims to bridge the gap between older people and the younger generation, inspire young people by enabling them to work with designers, to generate new concepts for industry to develop, and ultimately to encourage the introduction of these innovations to the market.
The Challenge launched a nation-wide search earlier this year for secondary schools - and design professionals to work with them – and received applications from all over the country. Hunterhouse College was among the fifteen strongest applicants, and will be working over the coming weeks to explore the issues and develop innovative new ideas.
In July, a shortlist of schools will present their concepts to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel which will select one overall winning school which will be awarded a £5,000 prize. In a second phase of the project, small and medium sized businesses will apply for grants to take forward concepts inspired by the schools challenge, developing them into prototypes or market-ready solutions for products and services that can be scaled-up and commercially developed.
- Teacher: T Campbell