DESIS Lab Melbourne, Q&A panel discussion 2012

Panel discussion with Cameron Tonkinwise (Parsons New School for Design and Carnegie Mellon University); Mel Edwards & Justin Barrie (Design Managers Australia); Kate Archdeacon (VEIL) and David Hood (Doing Something Good)

Filmed by Tim Denshire-Key

This event was a lively and engaged discussion on overlapping themes on service design, social innovation, public services, community engagement and sustainability.

As in the ABC 1 TV, 'QandA' panel discussion series, we asked attending participants to submit questions prior to the day.

Bio:

Associate Professor Cameron Tonkinwise, Parsons New School of Design (US):
Cameron Tonkinwise’s research and professional activities integrate the philosophy of design with a concern for sustainability. His work focuses on the design of commercial and nonmarket systems for shared product use, exploring how the emerging discipline of service design might facilitate the development of less-material-dependent economies. In his current research, Dr. Tonkinwise is investigating perceptions of convenience and autonomy in shifts from “ownership” to “usership.”

Mel Edwards and Justin Barrie, Design Managers Australia (DMA):
Design Managers Australia (DMA) is a service design consultancy working with private, public, community and volunteer organisations. What matters to us most is:

Making a difference to people’s lives through services that may or may not even be noticed by them – for all the right reasons
Creating change that is needed and that makes things better
Bringing together a range of voices and disciplines who can make things happen – not just talk about it, but do it

For us, social innovation is just as much about the small business owner coping with his/her BAS, as it is about providing urban renewal programs (as an example). Making a difference is about making a difference for and with people – at whatever scale. The opportunity to speak at the DESIS symposium gave us a chance to articulate to a thoughtful and diverse audience how what matters to us most has translated into the work we do and seek to champion.

Kate Archdeacon, Project Officer and Communications at VEIL:

Kate works on a range of projects, co-designing workshops, publications, and exhibitions, and sharing ideas with design students at Melbourne Uni and RMIT throughout the semester. Kate manages the VEIL websites including the sustainability blogs, and gives presentations to community groups projects around the world that inspire a shift to sustainable living. Kate is currently undertaking an MPhil in urban agriculture at the University of Melbourne.

David Hood has been working with not-for-profits and community organisations for close to 15 years - including almost four years at Greenpeace Australia where he worked in Communications and Public Engagement and was the Campaign Project Leader on the successful viral campaign against Nestle for deforestation.

In the last five years David has experienced the growing effectiveness of the web and social media to connect and enable communities to come together, collaborate, and take action on issues ranging from malaria and climate change, to mental health and girls' education.

The use of social media has been deeply integrated into David's current projects as founder of Doing Something Good, host of The Collaboratory Melbourne and producer of the Gathering Unconference. His mission is to realise the potential of the strategic use of the social web, emerging models for business and collaborative networked communities to build better futures for all, together.

A recent graduate of the School for Social Entrepreneurs program, David was recently named Melbourne Social Entrepreneur of the Year.