Skills for life - Ycenter
Looking at Education, Learning, and Economic Advancement in Mumbai Slums
Role Lead Design Researcher
Project Goal Determine potential project directions for Ycenter's summer 2016 service learning program addressing education in Mumbai
Project Considerations Education vs. learning, educational psychology, culture, environment, institutional barriers
Skills Highlighted Strategy, ethnographic research, generative research, analysis, synthesis
ABOUT THE PROJECT
After a successful project launch in Mozambique, the Ycenter founders wanted to launch a new service learning program in Mumbai. They were aware that there were issues with Mumbai's education system, and that most of the children who attend municipal schools are from lower-income families living in slums.
Familiar with some of my work in research, Ycenter invited me to lead an exploratory research project to help them gain understanding of, and develop a relationship with, people in slum communities to determine opportunities for a community-centered service learning program.
Strategy
Research Lens
To shape our research and help us interpret information, we created a lens defining community, culture, and education, and illustrating how they intersect.
Community Exploration
Working with the Urmi Foundation, we cast a wide net of communities we to visit that would be narrowed down to a select few focus communities in which to base the YCenter program.
Connection Map
Working with many organizations and experts, we drew this map to organize which resources mapped to which communities and areas of focus in our research.
Ethnography, Contextual Inquiry, and Expert Interviews
Observation
As Mumbai grows, more slums are being torn down. We spent some time in government-built MADHA buildings to see how the shift in environment effected the lifestyles and community culture residents cherished in their original slums.
Immersion + Contextual Inquiry
Spending time with local “trouble makers” -boys in their early 20's who struggle with employment- in Bharat Nagar gave us clear insight as to what it was like for them when they were younger, e.g. what kind of decisions they faced, trouble they had, how they thought and felt, and what kind of opportunities might have helped to change their stories.
Contextual Inquiry and Ethnography
Speaking with people of all ages, backgrounds, and genders in different communities helped paint a fuller picture by showing us many perspectives on the various problems people face when trying to advance in their careers.
Observation and Ethnography
Paying attention to the culture around youth and education in wealthier families in Mumbai helped us form an understanding of "what it takes" to succeed in Mumbai.
Informal Interviews - Community
Speaking with a variety of people from around the communities, such as these women from a local beauty shop, gave us different perspectives on lifestyle, mentality, and issues in the communities.
Expert Interviews - NGOs
Meeting with people like Rahul Pol, founder of Unity Foundation, from NGOs supporting areas such as education, career development, leadership, and girl empowerment in slums gave us great insight as to what our program might look like based on their years of experience working with youth in slums.
Immersion
Beyond administrative and institutional factors, a child's "success" in school is tied to numerous factors outside of school. It was crucial that we spent a lot of time in slums to gain a holistic understanding of children's lives and community structures.
Informal Interviews - Home Life
Speaking with families not only helped illustrate family dynamics, but also how different generations think about education, the expectations of the children, and how they interact.
Expert Interviews - Education
Hearing from people such as this teacher of 14 years helped us learn about how different schools operate, and how different teachers manage their students' needs.
Informative Activities
Teaching Drawing Classes at a BMC School
Spending at a Gujarati Medium School provided a lot of insight about students at municipal schools, the schools themselves, and introduced teachers' and administrators' perspectives to our work.
Assisting an Urmi Foundation Awareness Camp
This Sathe Nagar awareness activity informed us about community issues, mindset, and involvement.
"Chalo Badle Chembur" Leadership and Problem Solving Workshop
Hosting this workshop endowed us with invaluable insights to how these children think, work, learn, interact, what they care about, what they find intimidating, and how they can be encouraged.
"Chalo Badle Chembur" Leadership and Problem Solving Workshop
Participating students were energized and excited by the sense that they could make a difference in their community. Teachers observing the workshop were shocked by student engagement and seemed interested in adopting some of these methods as well.
Analysis
Initial Affinity Diagramming
Analyzed Diagram
Onion Map
Refined Affinity Clusters
User Personas
Mind Mapping