WEEK 1

This the first and the last publication you and I will read on my website and in our school year. Why is this the first? - Because it is how my fight or I would say the first step of my life long challenge started. How can it be the last? - Because this is what will help me and us at the end of the year, to understand if there is potential in this challenge… that there are ups and downs in this challenge, there is development as well as lots of step backs and restarts, reiterating and the most important always something to learn from each other.

My fight

Did you ask me what my fight is? I would like to take it in two parts. I would say ours instead of my, since I would like to see if it is important for others as well and if we can be in this together. It is more of a challenge to me than a fight, since I want to make it a plural discourse, where all of us are included, not going against or for something. “A dialogue has no predefined purpose, no agenda, other than that of inquiring into the movement of thought, and exploring the process of "thinking together" collectively. This activity can allow group participants to examine their preconceptions and prejudices, as well as to explore the more general movement of thought.” - David Bohm

Reflection and My fight

This year is a "free space" for something new to happen, just like how Bohm said - one of the most important statement of my personal and professional development this year. I arrived to this master with a concrete challenge to research, to communicate and to think about together with different disciplines or with the neighbourhood under the aegis off all the opportunities and knowledge that MDEF provides us. However I have to stay opened for any other questions that come to me. Due to the challenge I arrived with, I also want to create free spaces (a space can be: theoretical, intellectual, educational, physical, etc…), for every generation to express their own ideas and where they are aware of the fact that they have a voice and decision just like others. Yet I think about this space in a bit more defined way, the whole challenge came from the idea of our accelerating urbanisation and the citizens’ voices in their urban areas. Being involved in systems like a city as a small particle, it is hard to see the whole picture and is easy to let entropy manifest. I focus on two substantial systems: our intellectual systems and the physical system that surrounds us. I am particularly passionate about the intersection of behavioural science, education and urban planning from the perspective of a product and service designer. In my opinion growing up as a part of a community or as a part of a neighbourhood every each of us have to have our voices heard about the development and changes that surrounds us. But, how could we express it if we don’t even know we have an opportunity for that? The youngest ones are not involved in decision making, but in many places they are not even educated about critical thinking, problem solving and about the weight of their decision, somehow we just leave them out. I want to see communities where everyone is engaged and aware and where generations live together, where the is no need for separation just like the so called child friendly restaurants. I am especially interested in how we can integrate creative design thinking into education systems, and by doing so, educate kids to be able to form their own future while involving decision makers in some common thinking and planning. During the first week in Bootcamp I was already able to live in a free space and was asked to create a free space in my mind and be opened for every impulse that hits me. We had dialogues about our own personal development, where others development became our own. We had dialogues about our fights, where we could find the common points we want to fight for. And we had many different dialogues with many many participants of our schools’ neighbourhood to be able and start common discourses for a common challenge or fight we want to tackle together, by the help of “charcha”, how the community of ConnectHort said.