Action For Age 2011

commonground is working with design students across Portugal and the UK to design, develop and deliver ideas that promote intergenerational practice and reduce social exclusion among older people.

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challenge

Action for Age 2011 is the second edition of an initiative of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in partnership with experimentadesign, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa.

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process

The fall in birth rates associated with rising life expectancy have led to this widespread demographic transformation. In response to this scenario was created in 2008 the first edition of Action for Age, from a brief of the RSA (Design Direction programme), developed with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon / London) and experimentadesign in Portugal, which results were presented in Lisbon at the Biennial EXD'09 in 2009.

Members of the commonground team won the edition 2009 of Action for Age, taking part to the workshop and final exhibition in Lisbon. In 2010/11 takes place the second edition involving college students and young graduates of 21 Portuguese design universities across the country. Based on the project methodology, together with contributions from other disciplines expertise, the aim is to develop user-centred solutions that explore and leverage a real improvement in the lives of elderly people enhancing their social network and access to services.

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result

The 12 winning designs in the Action for Age 2011 were announced on February 21, at a session chaired by Isabel Mota, Administrator of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Guta Moura Guedes, president of experimentadesign. A total of 71 applications, compiled by 227 students, mostly working in teams, as part of their curriculum of studies, the 12 winners stand out for their potential, feasibility and innovation, divided into the following categories: product / technology, site-specific intervention, systems or services and community action.

commonground is supporting the phase of design development and pilot implementation, in which students will have manage their own resources (included a budget won through the competition) as well as regular monitoring by the Action for Age coordinators, their university tutors and other specialists.

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More info: Action for Age network
See Action for Age winning entry 2009
See Action for Age workshop 2009