Week 4

Hey, everyone, in this last video, we wanted to just take a moment to reflect on something that struck each of us during this semester, something that we’ve learned from you and really appreciated to have the chance to think through with you together.

I was really struck, I think, by our recent conversation with Jess Mitchell and the question of this idea or this idea

that you only know that co-design was successful when you’re able to look back on it.

And I know that as we’ve been working on our projects and working through these inclusive design practices,

there’s sort of this question just under the surface constantly, which is, you know, but how do I actually do this?

And more than that, how do I know that I got it right?

And I think that speaks to the fact that co-design doesn’t exactly have a playbook,

although we’ve looked at different models and different ideas and different approaches.

But that co-design is framed by a set of values, including intentionality, reflexivity, curiosity and humility.

So I think that the question may be reframed a little bit from how do I know I got it right?

Because that I think also implies an end state, and we know that to do inclusive design means that we’re constantly iterating or at least questioning.

So reframing from how do I know I got it right to?

What does it mean to do it right?

And so I don’t want to minimize impacts of our actions because we know that impacts of actions matter more than intentions.

But it’s got me thinking that the way in which you approach a co-design process in the first place sets the tone for the actions you take.

So I think that if you’re walking out of this class with anything, hopefully it’s a set of questions and a lens,

a set of values for approaching design with humans in ways that you continue to ask

questions and continue to think about the process rather than whether you got it right.

I love that. I think it reminds me a little bit of adrienne maree

brown’s statement, you know, how we are at the small scale is how we are at the large scale.

And I think if you think about the mindsets and approaches that you need in order to approach co-design from the right perspective,

you know that that alone is is a way in which we can start to go from small scale

to large scale and kind of take on the mindsets and practices that are beneficial.

Even if we look back on the on the co-design process and say, Oh yeah,

I probably could have done a couple of things differently, but just taking on those mindsets at the outset makes a lot of sense.

The thing that I wanted to kind of reflect on is the question that has come up a couple

of times several times in our conversations around efficiency and the pace of change.

And you know, it’s a it’s a challenging question to think about because, you know, I think as as one of you said,

I think as Arjun said this, this class, you know, there are big problems in the world, right?

And so do we need to solve quickly or do we need to solve slowly?

And that’s…And maybe that’s not a binary that actually works for us.

Maybe there are various ways to solve things, but it’s a question that’s kind of been rolling around in my brain.

As somebody who works in an institution of higher ed, where institutions of higher ed are very slow.

They take a long time to change. They can–not always.

They can take a long time to change, and the kind of change that we want to see might actually take a long time.

And so that’s that’s a question or an issue that I grapple with as somebody who in our work, actually,

we’re kind of asked to make change and asked to bring more inclusion and different pedagogies to Middlebury.

So as always, when I’m struggling with a question, I turn to adrienne maree brown because I just adore her work.

And there’s a section in her book Emergent Strategy that talks about the ways in which change is non-linear,

non-linear and iterative, which I think speaks also to what Dr. LW was just talking about.

There’s a section in here called Let It Breathe, where she writes, “There is such urgency in the multitude of crises we face.

It can be. It can make it hard to remember that in fact, it is urgency thinking, urgent,

constant unsustainable growth that got us to this point and that our potential success lies in going deep, slow, intentional work.

Sorry, in doing deep, slow, intentional work. We need to go beyond having a critique, counter analysis, alternate system plan for society.

We have to actually do everything differently, aligned with a different set of core principles for existence, especially our movement building.

How do we live compassion, justice, love, accessibility in alignment with this planet and with the people on it?

How do we live our values? As we are, so it will be. As we are, so it, our work, our movement will be. For the majority of us,

myself included, this means vast, ongoing transformation from how we are currently living and being.

As we transform, we see more things that need transformation within ourselves and the world.

It is so important that we cultivate our patients, our thoughtfulness,

our willingness to slow down and seek the wisdom of those not already part of our movements,

not to get them in step with our point of view,

but because we need their lived experiential wisdom to shape solutions that will work for the majority of living beings.

It is imperative to regenerate our curiosity, our genuine interest in different opinions and in people we don’t know yet.

Can we see them as part of ourselves and maintain curiosity, especially when we want to constrict and critique?

Can we each take our little spark from the fire that has started and truly let it breathe enough to grow?

So I think a little bit about even just the pace of this course and how incredibly rushed it feels,

how we jam packed this month with learning and trying and doing and and exploring and talking.

And I think now’s a moment to kind of say. Slow down and let it breathe, right, so.

This class feels rushed. Let it breathe. We’ve learned a lot.

Let it breathe. We are grappling with a lot of issues still.

Let that breathe. You’re about to go into another term. And it’s about to be heavy and intensive all over again.

Let it breathe. Let these learnings breathe.

Let the insights that you’re gaining, breathe and invest in the patience and thoughtfulness that can come out of this experience.

So thank you for an incredible term together.

And we look forward to seeing you this week. We’ll be talking about a bunch of things and hearing, of course, about your projects.

So thanks so much and we’ll see you soon.