Building Resilience and Social Cohesion through Local Innovation Ecosystems - Migration Summit 2023
MIT OpenCourseWareKey Moments
Local innovation hubs build resilience and social cohesion in South Sudan.
Key Insights
The BRIDGE Project empowers South Sudanese communities by building local innovation ecosystems.
MIT D-Lab's Creative Capacity Building (CCB) methodology trains community members to design and build their own solutions.
CCB fosters agency, confidence, and self-reliance, combating dependency often associated with traditional aid.
Innovation centers provide makerspaces, training, mentorship, and startup funds to support local entrepreneurs.
The project deliberately brings together diverse groups (ethnicities, ages, clans) to foster social cohesion and peacebuilding.
A co-creation summit facilitated collaboration between communities in conflict, strengthening relationships and shared problem-solving.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BRIDGE PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP
Lorraine Charles of Na'amal welcomed attendees to the final week of the Migration Summit 2023, focusing on "Co-Creating Pathways for Learning, Livelihoods, and Dignity." Amy Smith from MIT D-Lab and colleagues from YSAT introduced "The BRIDGE Project: Building Resilience and Social Cohesion through Innovation Ecosystems." This USAID-sponsored initiative partners MIT D-Lab, an organization with 20 years of experience in practical solutions for poverty and humanitarian challenges, with YSAT, a refugee-led organization focused on peacebuilding and youth empowerment. The partnership emphasizes shared philosophies of empowerment, agency, and design for community development, with a strong focus on localization through shared vision, planning, and decision-making at both organizational and community levels.
THE GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT AND PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The BRIDGE Project is implemented in Jonglei Province, South Sudan, specifically in the conflict-affected and isolated communities of Duk and Pibor. These areas are characterized by inter-ethnic conflict, frequently involving armed cattle raiding between the primarily Nuer (Duk) and Murle (Pibor) populations. The project aims to address these challenges by establishing two local innovation ecosystems, each with an innovation center offering regular design trainings. The core objective is to empower community members to identify their own problems, learn the design process, and build technologies that support their livelihoods, thereby promoting agency, self-reliance, and social cohesion across different groups.
CREATIVE CAPACITY BUILDING (CCB): FOSTERING AGENCY AND EMPOWERMENT
At the heart of The BRIDGE Project is MIT D-Lab's Creative Capacity Building (CCB) methodology, a "design-by" paradigm where community members are trained as designers. This process moves beyond traditional humanitarian aid, which often provides pre-determined solutions, by enabling participants to define their own challenges and co-create solutions. CCB involves an eight-stage design process, starting with information gathering and problem framing, moving through ideation, prototyping, and feedback loops, ultimately leading to market-ready technologies. This hands-on approach not only equips individuals with tangible skills like tool usage and prototype building but also fosters intangible benefits such as increased agency, self-confidence, and a transformed self-perception from passive recipients to active creators.
TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE BENEFITS OF DESIGN TRAINING
The CCB methodology yields significant tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible skills include learning to use tools, build prototypes, and engage in a creative problem-solving process. Participants also develop crucial soft skills like teamwork, receiving and giving feedback, and building relationships with teammates and users. Intangibly, the training cultivates a profound sense of agency, allowing individuals to feel more in control of their futures, especially critical in contexts of displacement and conflict. This process combats dependency cultures, boosts self-confidence, and transforms participants' self-view, enabling them to see themselves as capable innovators rather than vulnerable beneficiaries.
INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS: SUPPORTING LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Recognizing that training alone is insufficient, The BRIDGE Project establishes local innovation ecosystems. These ecosystems include physical innovation centers that serve as makerspaces, providing access to tools and materials. The centers offer ongoing training and outreach activities to foster a culture of innovation. Crucially, they provide mentorship in technical skills, business development, and team dynamics. Furthermore, participants can apply for small startup funds to launch their businesses, creating a supportive environment for local entrepreneurs to thrive and bring their created technologies to market, thereby diversifying livelihoods and community services.
COMBATING TRANSACTIONAL AID AND DIVERSIFYING LIVELIHOODS
The CCB approach directly challenges the negative impacts of transactional humanitarian aid by shifting the focus from receiving goods to developing self-reliance and agency. Participants, particularly women, gain confidence and skills, breaking down traditional barriers and enabling them to engage in activities previously considered outside their scope. The technologies developed, such as knife sharpeners, bake ovens, efficient cookstoves, brick molds, paste makers, and irrigation systems, not only solve community problems but also diversify livelihoods. These innovations can provide new income streams, improve access to essential services, and increase the overall resilience of individuals and communities.
FOSTERING SOCIAL COHESION WITHIN COMMUNITIES
Social cohesion is a key objective, addressed by deliberately bringing diverse community members together. Within communities like Pibor and Duk, where divisions exist along age, clan, and ethnicity lines, teams are formed with members from different groups. Working collaboratively on practical design projects necessitates cooperation and builds new relationships, transcending pre-existing tensions. The shared goal of making a technology work and potentially earning income together fosters mutual benefit and interdependence. This practical collaboration, combined with team-building activities, creates a space for people from different backgrounds to relate to each other in novel, constructive ways, strengthening the social fabric.
BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS CONFLICTING COMMUNITIES
The project extends its social cohesion goals to inter-community collaboration, specifically by bridging the gap between the Duk and Pibor communities, which have a history of conflict. A co-creation summit held in Juba brought together participants from both locations, united by their common design language and the shared experience of creating technologies. This neutral ground facilitated dialogue and collaboration, aiming to ease tensions by building relationships. Projects were intentionally structured to encourage mutual learning, with teams from one community joining projects from the other, fostering a shared understanding and reducing potential biases through practical, hands-on collaboration.
THE CO-CREATION SUMMIT AND TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT
The co-creation summit was a pivotal event designed to promote collaboration and relationship-building between individuals from Duk and Pibor. Key features included holding the summit in a neutral location, selecting projects that allowed for cross-community learning (e.g., sharing learnings on oven or wheel cart designs), and incorporating numerous team-building activities. The summit aimed to address power dynamics and reduce biases, creating an enabling environment for co-creation. Participant testimonials highlighted the profound personal transformation, with one individual shifting from a past as a cattle raider to viewing himself as a 'scientist' capable of creating new technologies, underscoring the project's capacity for deep change.
PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIALS AND A SHIFT IN PERCEPTION
Participant quotes underscore the transformative power of the CCB program. Individuals shared feelings of pride and a changed perception of themselves and by their communities, especially women who gained confidence in roles previously inaccessible to them. One participant noted how creating an oven provided a livelihood, moving from the brink of hunger to self-sufficiency. The project fundamentally alters how individuals are seen, shifting them from vulnerable recipients to capable problem-solvers. This change in perception is not limited to participants but also influences how NGOs view those affected by conflict, recognizing their inherent capabilities and potential.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND DISCUSSION ON KEY THEMES
The presentation concluded with breakout sessions allowing participants to discuss specific themes: strengthening livelihoods through collaborative design, combating transactional aid, and the promises and pitfalls of localization. Discussions revealed a strong consensus on the need for beneficiaries to be involved at every stage, with donor support essential for this shift. The advantages of localization, such as ownership and context-specific solutions, were highlighted, alongside potential disadvantages like cost and time investment. The sessions facilitated valuable insights into the practical implementation and future directions of such initiatives, emphasizing the need for inclusive decision-making processes.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND CONTINUED COLLABORATION
The session concluded with expressions of gratitude for participation and an announcement of a follow-on project funded by USAID, allowing for continued work in South Sudan over the coming months. MIT D-Lab and YSAT are committed to expanding CCB and local innovation ecosystems throughout South Sudan. The organizers expressed excitement about the project's potential and the insights gained from the participant discussions. Contact information was shared for further inquiries, and thanks were extended to the Migration Summit for hosting the event, highlighting the ongoing commitment to fostering learning, livelihoods, and dignity for displaced and migrant communities globally.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Products
●Software & Apps
●Tools
●Organizations
●Concepts
●People Referenced
Building Resilience and Social Cohesion: Key Principles
Practical takeaways from this episode
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Key Aspects of The BRIDGE Project's Creative Capacity Building (CCB)
Data extracted from this episode
| Aspect | Description | Key Benefit/Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Empowerment, building agency, design as a tool for community development. | Fulfills psychological and self-fulfillment needs; combats dependency. | Addresses basic needs through technology design and creation. |
| Methodology | Creative Capacity Building (CCB) - 'design by' paradigm. | Trains community members in the design process. | Fosters problem identification and solution creation. |
| Design Process Stages | 8 stages: Information gathering, problem framing, ideation, idea selection (sketch-modeling), prototyping, feedback, refinement, market readiness. | Structured approach to innovation and problem-solving. | Ensures feasibility and adaptability to local context. |
| Tangible Skills Gained | Using tools, building prototypes, design process, receiving feedback, building relationships. | Practical skills for livelihood improvement and community development. | Enhanced confidence and self-esteem. |
| Intangible Benefits | Increased sense of agency, transformation in self-confidence and self-perception, combating dependency, increased understanding and empathy. | Empowered individuals who see themselves as active creators, not just recipients. | Improved social cohesion and reduced tensions. |
| Localization Approach | Shared vision, planning, and decision-making between D-Lab and YSAT, and between Juba and Jonglei Province. | Ensures cultural relevance and local ownership. | Builds capacity of local actors. |
| Social Cohesion Building | Forming diverse teams to work on practical projects, team-building activities, co-creation summits. | Builds new relationships across ethnic, clan, and age divides. | Eases tensions and promotes understanding by focusing on mutual benefit and shared goals. |
Common Questions
The BRIDGE Project focuses on Building Resilience and Social Cohesion through Innovation Ecosystems in South Sudan. Its main goals are to empower local communities through design thinking, foster self-reliance by enabling them to create solutions for their own challenges, and promote social cohesion by bringing different groups together.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Executive director of YSAT, instrumental in bringing The BRIDGE Project to South Sudan.
An appliance that provides a new way for the community to produce bread and cookies, diversifying livelihoods.
A refugee camp in Uganda where YSAT works.
A paradigm of design where users are trained in the design process, empowering them to become designers themselves.
A design paradigm where the designer is separate from the users, though they may communicate to gather information.
A laboratory at MIT focused on working with people globally to develop practical solutions for poverty and humanitarian challenges, involved in The BRIDGE Project.
Founding Director of MIT D-Lab, involved in training trainers, capacity building, and co-creation for The BRIDGE Project.
Program Coordinator at MIT D-Lab, worked on the business side of CCB workshops for The BRIDGE Project.
A refugee camp in Uganda where YSAT works and where Jal Dak participated in a CCB training.
An ethnic group in South Sudan, mentioned in the context of ethnic divisions in Duk community.
A skill and product developed by participants in The BRIDGE Project, involving the creation of local shoes.
A technology for grinding paste (e.g., groundnut paste) more easily than traditional methods, developed by participants.
Program manager for YSAT for The BRIDGE Project in South Sudan, based in Juba.
A refugee camp in Uganda where YSAT works.
The cornerstone methodology of The BRIDGE Project, training community members in the design process to create solutions to their own challenges.
The theme explored by the Migration Summit 2023.
A project focused on Building Resilience and Social Cohesion through Innovation Ecosystems in South Sudan, sponsored by USAID and implemented by MIT D-Lab and YSAT.
A community in Jonglei Province, South Sudan, where The BRIDGE Project established an innovation center.
A locally made technology using bricks, developed by participants for use in Pibor and Duk.
A technology developed to support the growth of green vegetables during the dry season in South Sudan.
Aid models where beneficiaries receive goods or services decided by external organizations, which can lead to dependency and neglect higher-level psychological needs.
A type of vocational training that humanitarian workers might offer as an income-generating activity.
A province in South Sudan where the communities of Duk and Pibor are located.
A technology developed by participants, including women, to assist with various tasks.
Humanitarian specialist at MIT D-Lab and program manager for The BRIDGE Project, supporting training and business skills.
A technology designed by community members in South Sudan using a bicycle wheel to sharpen agricultural tools.
An organization implemented alongside MIT D-Lab for The BRIDGE Project, focusing on peacebuilding and raising the voices of young people.
A paradigm of design, also known as co-creation or co-design, where designers and users collaborate on the same team.
A technique used in CCB workshops where participants build simple prototypes of their ideas to test feasibility and select the best ones.
A type of technology that humanitarian workers might suggest to address fuel shortages for cooking.
A type of vocational training that humanitarian workers might offer as an income-generating activity.
A community in Jonglei Province, South Sudan, where The BRIDGE Project established an innovation center.
An ethnic group in South Sudan, mentioned in the context of ethnic divisions in Duk and Pibor communities.
A tool for making bricks, used for laying bricks and building houses, developed by participants.
Email address for reaching out to MIT D-Lab for further inquiries.
The capital of South Sudan and a location where YSAT has an office and where the Co-Creation summit was held.
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