Co-designing Pathways to Opportunities for Young People in the North West of England

Wareing, Laura and Rodgers, Paul and Dunn, Nick (2019) Co-designing Pathways to Opportunities for Young People in the North West of England. The Design Journal, 22 (Suppl.). pp. 863-883. ISSN 1460-6925

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Abstract

This paper presents ongoing research from the first of a series of projects examining how collaborative design approaches can raise aspirations and increase opportunities for people throughout the North West of England, in support of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy. The paper presents a case study where design practitioners and youth workers have worked together to co-design a prototype for an intervention that aimed to foster positive engagement between young people and businesses in Burnley in the North West of England. The paper outlines a number of insights that have emerged from observing and participating in the co-design process including the importance of trust in partnerships, skills and learning of the team, steps needed to sustain the project, and the challenges and opportunities of co-design. The paper concludes on how a “place-based co-design approach” may potentially contribute value to more resilient and sustainable communities.