Get a taste of co-design in this hands-on workshop that introduces the principles, process and practice of this unique approach to public and social innovation.
📜 Workshop overview
There’s a lot of talk about co-design in the public, health and community sectors, but it’s hard to understand what’s unique about this approach until you experience it for yourself. This one-day workshop offers a rapid deep dive into the practice of co-design for public and social innovation.
Through a simulation activity, we will explore what co-design can look and feel like in practice. You will be immersed in a co-design process before reflecting on the theory and principles underpinning it.
This in-person workshop offers a firsthand understanding of what makes co-design unique. It demonstrates how best to facilitate participation, including using creative techniques and accessible tools to effectively engage communities, colleagues, and other people interested in and affected by your work.
Designed and facilitated by Dr Emma Blomkamp, the workshop is based on best practice in experiential learning and extensive experience delivering enjoyable and educational sessions in Australia and New Zealand.
You will leave the workshop with tools and ideas for applying co-design to your own work, as well as a deeper understanding of the benefits and challenges of taking a more creative and participatory approach to shared problems.
👤 Who this is for
This learning experience has been designed for people new to co-design and human-centred design. Many participants will have significant experience in other fields but may not have been exposed to genuine co-design practice.
If you already have some experience with co-design or human-centred design, and/or have taken part in a previous workshop with Emma Blomkamp, you may wish to consider another training program.
🖥️ Session format
This full-day workshop is split into two parts, with several breaks.
The first part is fast-paced and interactive, with participants immersing themselves in a simulated co-design process. We will use tools for gaining empathy and exploring ideas to respond to a complex social issue. You will work in small groups in the first part and participate in a mix of individual, pair and group activities.
In the second part, we will reflect on the activities and consider how to do things differently in practice. Emma will share conceptual frameworks for co-design and examples from relevant projects. We will identify challenges and opportunities for applying these principles and methods to engage a wide range of people in policymaking, service design and social innovation. You will then consider how to apply these principles and methods to your own work.
📅 Upcoming dates
The next session of Immersive Introduction to Co-Design will be held in Melbourne on Thursday 19th October 2023, from 10am to 4.30pm.
Future dates and formats (online or in-person) are subject to interest. If you have a preference for a particular location or day for a future session, please state this when registering your interest below.
🗝 Registration and Investment
Individual: $850 AUD + GST. Includes materials and catering (lunch, morning and afternoon tea).
We offer a 50% scholarship for a First Nations practitioner and a complementary follow-up coaching session when registering 3 or more people from the same organisation. Contact us if interested, to request an invoice.
Express your interest below to hear when tickets go on sale for 2024 courses.
We highly recommend registering your interest to avoid missing out - the 2022 courses all sold out well in advance!
💬 Previous participants have said…
“I would definitely recommend this workshop to others, it's a fun and non-intimidating introduction to the world of co-design.” - Farhana Ismail, design researcher, Australia
“This is a great introduction to co-design - Emma manages to give you a taste of co-design practice through experiential learning, drawing out valuable questions and insights from participants, and then rounds this out with some theory and references to case studies.” - Nina Cunningham, public servant, Australia
“If you are interested in co-design but you have not yet had a taste - this is the perfect introduction to get started. A full day experiential workshop where you get to take part in a co-design process and reflect on how you can bring your learnings into your work.” - Simon Jankelson, design consultant, Australia
“This workshop offers a great introduction to co-design. While it unpacks foundational co-design principles and mindsets, this workshop is suitable for anyone that has an interest in deepening their understanding of co-design, no matter what level of experience. The experiential learning and high-quality resources offered in this session set it apart from standard training activities. Highly recommend!” - Maggie Fono, public servant, Australia