COFFEE HEROES

STRATEGY | GAMES | SOCIAL

COFFEE HEROES

STRATEGY | GAMES | SOCIAL


_Category

Master Project



_Expositions

Works • Design School Kolding | 2023

The future of coffee farming in rural Colombia is in danger due to a lack of generational renewal among farmers, which can be attributed in part to the absence of specialized rural education. Without opportunities for children to connect with their coffee culture and develop a positive association with it, we risk losing a vital part of our agricultural industry. If we don't take action, who will produce the coffee we rely on?

That's where Coffee Heroes comes in. This innovative workshop/school program aims to ignite kids' interest in coffee production through play. By empowering children to become superheroes with a mission to create educational games about the coffee production process, we can help them discover the importance of coffee in their community and inspire the next generation of coffee farmers.

Imagine a future without coffee, become a superhero, and save it forever.

The Coffee Heroes workshop is designed in eight different stages, each with its own goals. It empowers kids to become superheroes and become aware of their culture, fostering a new creative mindset that sparks their creativity.

Stage One
_Narrative
1
Through a speculative story about coffee's extinction, it engaged the kids in the workshop.
Stage Two
_Superheroes
2
Children are encouraged to empower themselves and create their own superhero identities.
Stage Three
_Groups
3
Once they have their shields and names, they should form superhero groups or leagues
Stage Four
_Selection
4
Each team receive an explanation of a part of the coffee production process.
Stage Five
_Materials
5
Each team will receive a kit containing materials that they can use to create the game.
Stage Six
_Workshop
6
Each team should use their creativity to develop a game that explains the process.
Stage Seven
_Games
7
Games are played allowing all to learn by playing about the coffee process.
Stage Eight
_Games Kit
8
A collection of games is produced and can be used for activities within the school.

A workshop designed for kids, by kids, but designed and guided by adults.

As a result, the project includes a project book that documents the research and development of the idea, and an implementation book that details the 8 phases of the implementation strategy for the Coffee Heroes project.


These books provide facilitators with access to materials, principles, recommendations, and instructions for each implementation stage, along with blank spaces for customization. The objective is to equip facilitators with the necessary tools and knowledge of the activities and actions required during the workshop.

Following a complete Child-Centered design process.

The entire design process starts with an intrinsic motivation to understand the lack of opprtunities for kids on rural Colombia and the lack of generational renewal. During the six months of work, I was able to create connections with kids from different rural schools in the coffee region in Colombia, understanding the surroundings, the context and creatting trust to develop my project though play. Below I evidence four (04) main achievements in the process:

_Current solutions are not enough.

Different guided tours showed a problem in the current activities to saprks kids curiosity about coffee. They don't understand the children and focus on knowledge, no matter how boring and no important is for the kid.

_Understanding the kids role.

Sharing time, playing and creating a safe space with the kids in their natural surroundings, allowed me to build trust and confidence with them, allowing me to deeply understand and co-create the solution with them

_Four determinants, better quality life.

A workshop/class that provides knowledge, freedom, creativity and motivation, proposes a new way to use learning trough play and sparks motivation in the productive coffee model.

_Following the 10 guides for Child-Centred Design.

Kids are the co-authors of the workshop and I always kept on mind the principles like including them in the process, making the project error free and for everyone, and letting them know everything about the design process and solution.

Some pictures of the project development in Marsella, Risaralda. All the kids that appear on the images gave me their parents and own authoritation to show their pictures and results.