26 September 2019
Design Brief 1: Senior Savvy Starts at Home
- Develop a set of activities and gaming solutions that is targeted at youths and young adults to influence them to be more aware and mindful of their current relationships with their older family members (parents/grandparents etc.).
Background:
- We need to address the issue of ageism on a micro-level – our families – before we critique how society (macro-level and meso-level) mistreats older adults.
- Research shows that poor family relationships is one of the stronger predictors of ageist attitudes (Kennison et al.). The activities would help participants recall past memories they had with their family members.
- Using play as a medium would help participants open up to each other and could create spontaneous sharing and learning.
Approaching the brief:
- This brief asks for the design and facilitation of fun and interactive activities and games in hopes of enabling the younger generations to be more aware that their time with their ageing family members is limited and they should start caring for them more when they have the chance to.
- The games and activities could also inform future development of games and activities that can be played in an intergenerational setting to help forge bonds and enhance understanding.
Kennison, Shelia & Byrd-Craven, Jennifer. (2018). Ageism in Young Adults: The Roles of Childhood Relationships with Parents and Attachment. Current Psychology.
Collaborators: Project Somebody (Ground-up initiative with 4 other team members)
Status: In the midst of testing activities and games. A workshop will be held on 5th Oct at the Senior Savvy event organised by Youth Corps.
Design Brief 2: Relationship Banking
Develop a game solution (e.g. board game, table top game) that enables people of all ages and background to interact and get to know each other better. Societal concepts such as ageism and negative stereotypes could be taught the gameplay.
Background:
- Board games have been played in many societies and cultures throughout history.
- They have been used for teambuilding, skills learning (cognitive, memory, motor etc.), socialisation.
- Using play as a medium would help participants open up to each other, thus helping to break down barriers.
- Game mechanism could place youths in situations where older adults face discriminatory practice; and place older adults in situations (reverse ageism) faced by the youths.
Approaching the brief:
- This brief asks you to develop a physical game solution to be used as a medium for face-to-face interactions to mitigate agist mindsets. It places participants in the shoes of the other party to help them understand each other better, thus developing empathy.
Design Brief 3: Generation to Generation
Design an artefact that will assist the younger generations in inciting their interest to uncover past memories with their families – mainly their parents and grandparents.
Background:
- Past memories are important to everyone as they give us a nostalgic feeling and remind us of the happy times with our loved ones.
- Photographs and memorabilia are visual representations of past stories, feelings, places, and most importantly, the people. The physical family photo book is a treasured possession of families as it contains many cherished memories.
- It is also a keepsake that can be passed down from generation to generation. However, they are far less common today than in the past.
Approaching the brief:
- This brief asks for a social mechanism to induce a collaborative activity between the generations to unearth hidden narratives and stories, relive past memories, and hopefully, create new adventures together.