WalkingDot believes in the power of DESIGN + EMPATHY to promote social change. We bring people together to activate their passion and purpose with a creative process to help develop innovative and engaging ways to better our communities. We believe in the innate creative ability in us all and the power of the individual to make a direct and lasting impact. By fostering that creativity and connecting the unique skills and passion of one person with those of others, we can develop a network of creators and doers to help tackle our society’s “wicked problems”.
Scroll to read about our current projects and how we work:
"A line is a dot that went for a walk."
–Paul Klee
This lovely quote from artist Paul Klee speaks to us about how, as we walk through our lives, we each leave a mark on the world. At WalkingDot, we hope to make meaningful connections through design that enable individuals and organizations to make their mark a positive one.
What We Believe
- Good Design + Empathy can help solve difficult problems
- Empathy and creativity are innate traits we all can and should tap into more often
- Sometimes amateurs know more than experts
- Giving back isn’t a one-sided endeavor
- We may end up defining and solving a different problem than what we started with, and that's OK
- Good work is open source
What We Do
- Educate about design thinking and human centered design
- Train and connect volunteer "Citizen Designers" to their local community
- Mobilize and empower individuals to use their varied talents for social change
- Develop sustainable solutions to help communities and organizations
- Share successful models
How We Work
- Empower volunteers with creative confidence and a toolbox of new skills to help their community
- Connect and collaborate with our volunteers, experts, communities, and partner organizations
- Help define problems and develop solutions in our communities through a design thinking process
- Develop strategies to help test, refine, and implement solutions
- Provide low cost or free services for qualified organizations.
Current WalkingDot Projects
Creating positive social change requires all hands on deck. We believe every one of us can contribute by starting within our own communities, practicing empathy, and combining our passions with a new creative process. WalkingDot's current projects focus on engaging the individual activist with the needs of their community.
WalkingDot Citizen Design Lab works to train and inspire people to invest in their own creative confidence—to join a coalition of Citizen Designers. This movement is building a community of thinkers and tinkerers of varied backgrounds to practice human-centered design and join with others to make bigger impact. These Citizen Designers will help create a better future.
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Tiny Design Lab
recognizes the innate creativity and empathy in young people. Our Tiny Design Lab is a fun and interactive program that combines that empathy with critical thinking and a creative process to help kids learn a new way to solve problems. We hope to encourage the next generation of changemakers.
Postcards From The People
An advocacy project that allows artists and designers to contribute their creative talents to enable others to let their voices be heard by their representatives in government. Volunteers submit designs that are turned into free downloadable postcard templates that the public can print from home and mail to their elected officials.
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Join us at an upcoming workshop or
information session!
WalkingDot believes in the power of DESIGN + EMPATHY to promote social change. Come join us at an upcoming workshop, information session, or event to find out more about our projects. We'd love to meet you! If you'd like to have us come to your organization or work with you on a Citizen Design project, please fill out the contact form below!
September:
WalkingDot Citizen Design Lab Workshop:
How Might We Better Engage Citizens in Local Elections?
Leesburg, VA
September 23, 10am - 4pm
Join us for a hands-on workshop as we tackle citizen and voter engagement with local government. We will introduce the framework for human-centered design as a foundation for researching motivations and barriers as well as developing new ways to increase that engagement.
This is a one day workshop where you will learn and explore new methods to tackling this important issue. We will talk directly with citizens, discover new insights, prototype and test new ideas, and present our findings to the group.
RSVP Today: https://www.facebook.com/events/1927880230816413/?ti=icl
"Yes, You ARE Creative (And We Need You): Citizen Designers Wanted"
Booking now for September
Are you interested in learning more about Citizen Design Lab? WalkingDot would love to attend your organization, huddle, or community meetings to share more about our efforts to engage and empower individuals and communities. Our short presentation covers how we can help you and your members to use their sense of empathy and innate creativity to spark change. We are currently scheduling presentations for September. Email us at info@walkingdot.org to book a session.
October:
Tiny Design Lab: 8 Week After School Program
Ashburn, VA
Our popular Tiny Design Lab camp is now an after school program for 2nd-3rd graders.
Contact us for more information.
We would love to hear from you.
The best way to reach us is by filling out this form and asking your question but we like regular old email as well! Email: info@walkingdot.org.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram! @WalkingDotOrg
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