Discordia || Design for Humanitarian Causes

Information InFiltration. Mediaculturistic artistic dissent-o-mania.

[- Design for Humanitarian Causes
By SophiaRawlinson, Section whatever... Posted on Fri Jun 25th, 2004 at 04:55:41 PM EURODISCORDIA TIME
I recently came across Design For The World - an organisation that partners organisations in need and voluntary designers (graphic designers, industrial designers and interior and architectural designers) in order to provide voluntary design for those in need. Another organisation, Interconnection - specialises purely in voluntary web design for humanitarian causes who may require such a service.

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I think these organisations raise questions concerning when humanitarian aid is actually helpful? Will a website really make much of a difference to many of the organisations involved? Could technology be used in a different manner (as opposed to a basic web site) to achieve similar aims - putting people in touch with one another, raising awareness of issues, and recruiting supporters for particular causes, for example... ?

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Design for Humanitarian Causes | 1 comments

[new] hearing different voices (Avg. Score: none / Raters: 0) (#1)
by Aileen on Tue Jul 6th, 2004 at 11:20:17 PM EURODISCORDIA TIME
(User Info)

When I showed this link to my students from the Industrial Design department of the art university here, they were very interested and several of them were already familiar with it - but then I had an amazing group of students this year (I only teach one English class in Industrial Design), and I was impressed again and again by their idealism and their commitment to social responsibility and critical thinking particularly in this field. I am confident that these people will put their special knowledge and skills to good use with or without helpful web sites.

During the years that the "women in Afghanistan" chain letter was still circulating, I was glad to have a link to the RAWA web site ("Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan") to send right back to anyone who sent me that chain letter (and an overwhelming number of people appeared to associate me with the topics of "violence against women" and "religion" - it was mind-boggling, how often I received that chain letter!). I don't know how many of those people may have actually taken action, however, even though there are very clear and practical requests listed on the site. I have to admit that I didn't myself.

Then when a representative from RAWA came to speak in Linz, as moving and inspiring as it was to hear about their work, it was also frustrating that their voices were not heard by the political decision-makers after the bombing of Afghanistan - these women who had so much to say were not even invited to the table.

Being able to read a well designed web site with important information comfortably on my own computer doesn't really have much of an effect, does it? Or does it sometimes? With so many voices trying to be heard, how can they reach the "right" ears to have an effect - how can the right words reach the right eyes?

Design for Humanitarian Causes | 1 comments

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