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22 August '22

Design Your Future - with Καθ' Οδόν

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Over the last few months, participants from the first Design Your Future program teamed up with the Athens-based NGO ‘On the Way’ [(https://ontheway.gr/)]() to use some of their creative problem solving skills in order to make a difference in the lives of others.

Through the experience of joining an ‘On the Way’ street outreach session and interviews with experts they identified that for many homeless people, keeping personal belongings safe is extremely challenging - especially personal ID documents and other important paperwork.

Facilitated by the Horizon instructors and with guidance from the ‘On the Way’ team, participants followed the design process to create a simple, yet effective solution to this problem. They named it the ‘Document Saver’.

The ‘Document Saver’ is a durable, low-profile, waterproof fabric pouch designed to wear around the neck, sized exactly to hold key documents and it can be worn underneath clothing to reduce the chance of loss, damage or theft.

On completion of the product, participants had the opportunity to distribute what they had produced to homeless people in the center of Athens.

It was a profound experience for many of the participants and a step on their journey towards understanding the positive impact they can make in society.

The Horizon is developed in partnership with @MITDLAB and supported by the @Veluxfoundations and @KingBaudouinFoundation

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