Engineers without Borders ‘Global Citizenship Programme’ has been the flagship annual programme of the Hong Kong chapter of the International NGO since 2018. The programme works to prepare students and young engineers to become global citizens, with knowledge and understanding of real world sustainability issues to plan for a better future.
Engineers without Borders contacted MAKE to interrogate the programme’s suitability for volunteers due to a drop in engagement among the prior 6 month overseas programme. The team wanted to address the engagement drop and reconnect with volunteers creating renewed interest and enthusiasm within the programme.
We approached this challenge by placing volunteers at the heart of the solution, engaging with them in co-design sessions early in the process in order to create a sense of shared ownership and pride in the programme. We weaved a theme of ‘reconnection’ through the programme to strike the right tone with their volunteer audience.
To reconnect with the right audience, our MAKErs employed a range of strategies and solutions beginning with holistic experience design where we investigated the current model and each activity to decipher their meaning to the programme and participants as a whole. We used this to then develop a new and cohesive learning experience fit for EWB’s purpose. During the development phase we interviewed previous alumni and new recruits to help inform the new programme's design and build on its current strengths.
Following the redesign, we implemented a train-the-trainer programme over a period of 4 months where we explored a series of Design Thinking techniques with a team of 10 volunteers, empowering them with the confidence and knowledge to share with their wider team.
Over the course of 4 months, we worked together with Engineers without Borders volunteer team to co-design a brand new programme experience that aimed to ensure engagement levels of participants sustained throughout (and beyond) the programme duration.
Following implementation of our newly designed programme, Engineers without Borders Hong King was able to share that the programme has been their most successful premier yet with engagement levels and learning sustaining across the board.
"Thank you for facilitating, provoking and guiding the workshops. Diving deep into the human centric mindset to design the communications and solutions highlighted the students’ development as change makers."
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