Discover area: co-designing for situated learning within a Ghanaian community

This paper discusses how a western design researcher applied co-design to create a situated learning environment within a Ghanaian community. The objective was to co-design a situation wherein a Ghanaian community could become engaged in on-going learning processes, based on local knowledge, skills and resources in order to ultimately enhance resilience of the community and form a counterforce to increasing youth unemployment. The design- research process was based on action research. The result took the shape of the Discover Area: an outdoor open workshop space where community members can facilitate or participate in experiential workshops based on local skills and knowledge and the use of waste- and natural materials. The workshops amplify the creativity, confidence and problem-solving skills of the participants and herewith enhance the community’s resilience. The Discover Area was co- designed by intensive collaboration with the local community, building a stakeholder network of professors, teachers and craftsmen and setting up a local committee as well as a local successor for the Western initiator of the project in order to enhance sustainability of the platform. The Discover Area was situated on the roadside so that the workshop activities and results triggered curiosity within the community. It offered opportunities for up-cycling waste materials through demonstrating the value of craftsmanship and it stimulated youth employment through in-class projects and after school workshops.