There is a neighborhood in North Philadelphia that has no name. It is known as “off Germantown Ave.” For decades the neighborhood has experienced disinvestment. A part of the city that is underserved and often forgotten.
A neighborhood with scarce broadband internet connectivity. A community denied access.
But there is also art, light, hustle, love, and creativity in the neighborhood. It shines through in many ways. One is the collaboration between decades, community members and a small non-profit called the Village of Arts and Humanities. Together they have transformed vacant lots into art parks, and invented solutions to many of the neighborhood’s challenges.
For over 25 years, the Village has provided youth programs that range from the arts to urban farming and sustainability, and offered a safe space encouraging the use of creativity to solve problems.
Learn Do Share @ the Village is an effort to co-design, co-build and deploy a mesh network with the community.
A collaborative design meets social innovation “think & do” lab that will bring broadband to the neighborhood for the first time.
LEARN DO SHARE @ the Village is a collaborative lab powered by the Columbia University School of Professional Studies & Learn Do Share
This R&D project harnesses storytelling, play, design thinking and technology in an effort to make social impact
Learn Do Share @ the Village learning objectives
Collaborative Design
Shared Ethnography
Storytelling
Experience Design
Place Making
Impact Measurement
21st Century Skills
Internet of Things UX
A unique opportunity to learn do and share
LEARN
Collaborative design
21st Century Skills
The Power of storytelling & play to make impact
How humanize data and technology
How to identify and address community needs
How to develop a research agenda with data collection and data analysis
DO
Design
Build
Deploy
A mesh network to provide broadband access
SHARE
Meet new collaborators
Become of a collective narrative for good
Help develop a tool kit that can assist other communities to build their own networks
The Village of Arts & Humanities
SPACES at the Village partners visiting artists from around the world with community members in North Philadelphia to co-create innovative, art-based solutions to neighbor-identified challenges. You can read more at villagespaces.tumblr.com
The mission of The Village of Arts and Humanities is to amplify the voices and aspirations of the community by providing arts-based opportunities for self-expression and personal success that engage youth and their families, revitalize physical space and preserve black heritage. The Village values the power of creativity as its most powerful and effective tool for catalyzing healthy and sustainable change. Our work has evolved over 30 years, from a focus primarily on arts education and land transformation to a broader and more intentional commitment to increasing residents’ access to tools for creative self-actualization. We offer an alternative to traditional community development by bringing disparate stakeholders together around common interests and seek innovative approaches, whether through the use of new technologies or through engagement with artists and community partners who are leaders in the field of social practice. In this way, we ensure that our efforts remain impactful, relevant, and responsive to the needs and interests of participating youth, families, partners and the community in which we reside.
Space is limited
Learn Do Share @ the Village is FREE and has room for 40 participants
PLEASE NOTE: The lab will meet in NYC on Columbia’s campus and also at the Village of Arts & Humanities in Philadelphia.
Collaborators & Partners Wanted
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
– Margaret Mead
Learn Do Share @ the Village partners
