Young designers meet social enterprises

With the goal of bringing this experience to the Global South, and thanks to the work of one of Studio Shift’s team members who co-authored the project, two key questions emerged: How could the Design Sprint 4ETS methodology be adapted and evolved for application in different contexts? How could participatory design improve civic engagement processes within local governments?

Unlike the Design Sprint 4ETS experiences conducted in Italy, which addressed challenges proposed by organizations, the Bogotá edition focused on community-driven needs. This initiative also became an opportunity to test the feasibility of structurally integrating the DS4ETS methodology into participatory consultation and decision-making processes. Specifically, the “Participatory Budgeting” framework in Bogotá served as a platform to enable citizen participation in allocating local budgets, guided by ideas developed during the design sprints.