Conference article

This paper reports the findings as part of a EU funded project which focuses on the participatory development with the Youth in marginalised communities of Southern Africa. It discusses the advantages of the adoption of Service Design methods in providing self-awareness, engagement and active collaboration among participants. Based on the literature review of Social Innovation, Participatory Design and Service Design, a framework is proposed and suggests a different overview of the role of individuals in a contemporary community, with the aim of identifying features that enable and empower the youths as change agents in their communities. A tool book is created as a result of a selection of the most effective tools and techniques developed and used in a series of workshops carried out with local Youth. Through a case study, we illustrate the use of process and tools that enables and creates an ethical, equal and open platform where the basic skills can be transferred, and issues or challenges identified individually and collectively can be transformed into solution-oriented opportunities.

participatory design, service design, youth empowerment, design process, marginalised youth