DESIGN FOR CHANGE CYPRUS
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ABOUT US

Design for Change Cyprus is a social enterprise and the exclusive partner of Design for Change Global in Cyprus. We are part of a global movement that cultivates the “I CAN” mindset in every child, bringing their voice and agency into the real world. The organization focuses on developing the I CAN Mindset, which equips children with self-awareness, skills to take action, and empowerment to design a more desirable and sustainable future.

Design for Change uses the FIDS framework to develop 21st-century skills, social and emotional competencies, and employability skills in children. We promote Design Thinking as a powerful tool that allows both children and adults to transform the world according to our vision, creating a more compassionate and empathetic society. As pioneers of Design Thinking in schools, Design for Change has been instrumental in spreading this progressive way of thinking globally.

The Island Private School of Limassol is the training arm of Design for Change Cyprus. Its mission is to grow a community of ‘I CAN’ eduheroes who further cultivate the ‘I CAN’ mindset in children and youths, empowering them to believe that they can change the world.

 

To get involved with Design for Change Cyprus, individuals and organizations can partner with us. You can also reach out through the provided contact information on this website.

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DESIGN FOR CHANGE

Design for Change (DFC) is the largest global movement of children and youth driving change in their own communities by unleashing their “I CAN” spirit. Design for Change equips children with the tools to be aware of the world around them, to believe that they play a role in shaping that world, and to take action towards a more desirable, sustainable future. Children and youth are empowered to believe that they matter; that change is possible and that they can lead the change themselves.

 Design for Change works towards cultivating the design mindset in children of being optimistic, human-centric, and collaborative through the simple design-thinking framework of Feel-Imagine-Do-Share.

“To design is to grapple with the future. The trouble with ‘the future’ is that it doesn’t exist.” – Stuart Candy

 It is becoming increasingly clear that the needs of the twenty-first-century ‘learner’ demand new approaches to ‘learning’. Today, student success requires skills for collaboration, creativity, compassion, and problem-solving. There is an urgent need to prepare our young people to navigate an unknown and complex future. They need to believe that they have the skills to shape their own character, life skills, and positively impact the lives of others around them.

Design thinking is one of the ways we can address this need. We have witnessed that with this simple thinking process, children have taken ownership of their learning and cultivated a human-centered, collaborative, and optimistic mindset.

 It is this optimism that is needed in education today, and it is a process that can be consciously nurtured and energized if we want all our children to graduate with the ‘I CAN’ mindset. Not by chance. By Design.

OUR VALUES

Every child matters! We embrace all cultures, religions, causes, languages, genders, and ages.

We are shamelessly committed to the pursuit of infecting every child in the world with the power of ‘I CAN’.

We are optimistic that the world can be a better place and change is possible. 

Together we can do more, we will collaborate and do what it takes to infect every child with the ‘I CAN’ mindset.

FEEL-IMAGINE-DO-SHARE

How are we doing it? We follow the FIDS framework:

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  1. FEEL: Understand situations empathetically.
a light bulb on a stand
  1. IMAGINE: Imagine solutions.
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  1. DO: Put those solutions into action.

 

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4. SHARE: Share the impact and inspire others.

The FIDS framework is a simplified design thinking process that is constructive, adaptive, and replicable. It helps develop 21st-century skills, social and emotional competencies, and employability skills in children. Design Thinking allows both children and adults to transform the world into how they envision it – a more compassionate, empathetic world.

Design For Change has conducted continuous studies to reaffirm the impact of the FIDS approach on the holistic development of children. Research conducted by The Good Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education has shown that the DFC curriculum improves skills like collaboration, creative thinking, and empathy. The confidence developed through the project also positively influences academic scores.

A recent study from Stanford, in partnership with INSEAD, found that implementing DFC’s design thinking curriculum and FIDS process increased confidence, ideational fluency, and elaboration in a divergent thinking task, particularly among female students.

For more information and to get involved with Design for Change please contact us.

info@dfccyprus.com