Changemaker

The adventure of implementing co-design took off in a pilot school in Ouagadougou, the Sainte Antonia private school. It was there that adolescent students, accompanied by the implementation team, came together around a simple but ambitious idea: to test the set of tools and the approaches planned for the co-design of the Changemaker project. This first stage, following the Kisumu, Kenya workshop and the facilitators’ training in Ouagadougou – aimed not only to experiment with the tools and participatory approaches, but also to observe the way in which adolescents interact with the proposed methods in order to adjust and improve before their deployment to other selected schools.

In order to promote a rich and inclusive exchange, the adolescents were divided into two groups, taking into account gender and grade level. In order to promote a rich and inclusive exchange, the adolescents were divided into two groups, taking into account gender and grade level (6th or 5th). This approach ensured diversity of views and gave everyone the opportunity to express themselves freely. Within each group, a group leader was chosen to lead the discussions and ensure the participation of all. The facilitators, present as attentive observers, provided guidance whenever necessary, while leaving a large autonomy to the adolescents.

The co-design atmosphere was constructive and participatory based on the tools developed. Depending on each sequence, the facilitators took turns leading the discussions, ensuring that the interest of the adolescents was maintained. This collective work took place under the leadership of Zorome Souleymane, who coordinated the activities, and under the supportive supervision of Dr. Milogo Roch Modeste.

Alongside the facilitators, note-takers played an essential role throughout the workshop, from taking accurate correspondence of the exchanges to carefully monitoring the groups as well as compiling the ideas put forward by the adolescents, ensuring that no idea was lost.

The commitment of the adolescents was remarkable. Attentive and motivated, they followed seriously the guidelines given by the facilitators, while taking full ownership of the exercise. In each group, the conversations were marked by rich, dynamic and exciting discussions, revealing the curiosity of the adolescents.

Following each point addressed and discussed, each group presented its answers and proposals to all the participants. These contributions were then compiled, grouped together and displayed on a large board. A creative drawing session was held, where each group represented their own vision of an urban garden. The adolescents were given free rein to their imagination to design the layout, choose the type of crops and all the devices that go there, including the irrigation and composting system.

Gradually, this painting was transformed into a collaborative visual space, where different ideas were added to each other to form a collective vision. This collective commitment was a testament to the adolescents’ genuine interest and motivation to make their voices heard in the co-design process. The compilation of ideas was an essential step of the workshop. All the proposals made for each item and for each group have been carefully collected and organized in order to identify the prominent points. These compiled ideas served as the basis for the final discussion and the report of this pilot phase of co-designing.

The work ended with official statements from the coordination team and the Sainte Antonia’s School representatives. The collective efforts made were hailed as an important milestone in the implementation of the Changemaker project. A call was made to maintain this momentum and to continue with the spirit of collaboration and creativity observed throughout the work.