In our projects we design concrete yet bold solutions that are vehicles for social change. We work in a wide range of domains, from mental health to restoring biodiversity and everything in between.
With GEM (ecosystem mentale gezondheid – mental health ecosystem) we are setting up a new way of organising mental healthcare: centralising the patient perspective and promoting collaborations between healthcare providers and social players. Initiatives are taking root throughout the Netherlands – from Deventer to Amsterdam and from Harderwijk to Doetinchem.
Reframing Welfare
To ensure a healthy and fair future in the metropole region Amsterdam, for this generation, for future generations and for ecosystems, Amsterdam Economic Board aims to reframe our current view on welfare. Therefore, we developed a new perspective on prosperity and quality of life together with a group of 25 stakeholders. The result is an overview of nine challenges that will help strengthen quality of life in the region and can spark new ways of collaborating. Currently, we are investigating what this can mean for the theme ‘health and prevention’.
Future of parenting
Commissioned by the Bondgenoten we explored the future of parenting and growing up in the Rijnmond Region of 2030. Based on this exploration, the Bondgenoten defined their joint ambitions. With the Garage 2020 and the Bondgenoten as our partners, we are now working on their ambitions and shaping the future of raising and growing up, through concept development, prototyping and user evaluations. After working on a play free state (in collaboration with Villa Zebra), to enhance free play, we are now dreaming about the future of inclusive education (in collaboration with Cult North). Our last project in this series is about designing the equal dialogue between youth that got stuck in life and their (formal and informal) caretakers.
Redesigning relapse
In this project, funded by the Agis innovatiefonds, we are exploring how adolescents struggling with addiction can be supported. In this new perspective we shift the focus from preventing relapse to strengthening the resilience of youngsters and their social network to deal with the ups and downs that are part of the journey to recovery. This project is done in collaboration with Brijder Jeugd.
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Reframing Studio is an independent innovation agency with over 25 years of experience.
How can children with chronic disease and their families become more resilient?
Growing up with a chronic kidney disease has a big impact on the life of a child. Daily activities become challenging, medicines influence their looks and behaviour, they have to eat differently, and they have to deal with uncertainties. The disease is intertwined in their daily life as well as the lives of all family members. Dealing with the practical, social, and emotional challenges requires adaptability and resilience of both the child and the child's family.
Team Minke Dijkstra Roald Hoope
Partners Emotion Studio
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challenge
Nierstichting Nederland (the Dutch Kidney Foundation) started a campaign called Jonge Helden (Young Heroes) that aims to show the invisible struggles of children with kidney disease as well as their strength and perseverance. As part of this campaign, Reframing Studio and Emotion Studio explored how children with chronic kidney disease and their families can be supported in their daily life.
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A kidney disease has a big impact on the life of a child. The 4 year old Bram has to dialyse 11 hours a day.
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emotion research
Together with Emotion Studio, we started the project by interviewing children with kidney disease, their families and their professional caregivers. We researched their challenges, emotions, needs and aspirations. A main finding was the identification of eight different roles a parent shifts between when taking care of their child: besides being a loving parent, they for example also have to take on the role of a nurse, a planner, and a coach. Each role calls for different skills and for a different interaction with their child. Furthermore, we discovered that most of the current interventions and services focus on practical roles, whereas support for social-emotional roles is missing.
concept development
Based on the research results, we developed several concepts: such as a tool that helps families involve their social environment with caretaking tasks to a service that connects families to other families in a similar situation. In several co-creation sessions with amongst others psychologists, teachers, dieticians, parents, and children we designed exercises that help children and their families to deal with social and emotional challenges that they encounter in their daily life. This 'resilience training for families' was selected for realisation.
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The resilience training was developed in iteration and tested by children and their families. A child in the age group 4 - 7 tested a concept where ‘worries’ were shaped like little creatures and tried to visualise its own worries.
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resilience training
The resilience training consists of playful exercises for children and their families that help them to feel empowered in their daily life. Step by step they learn to deal with both social and emotional challenges that impact their daily lives. The exercises cover six topics: (1) having worries, (2) dealing with annoying questions, (3) eating differently, (4) resting and recovering, (5) coping with anger, and (6) missing things in school. The exercises come with a coaching manual for parents that provides background information and extra guidance.
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training for heroes
Families can download the exercises for free and print them out. Some clinicians have put the exercises in their waiting room or refer families to the website. For each topic there is a version available for the age group 4 - 7 and 8 - 12.
go to the exercises →
go to the exercises →
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A sneak peak of some exercises for children in the age group 8 - 12 years old.
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child with kidney disease 10 years old
"It makes things that are difficult to talk about easy and fun to talk about."
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Want to know more about
this project?
Reach out to designer and researcher Minke Dijkstra