Connect and Collaborate: A Design Salon
Humans have an innate desire to belong. Belongingness is a foundational need, and if it goes unmet, there are significant impacts on individual and societal health. Yet today, social fragmentation and loneliness are growing at alarming rates.
To combat this, in 2023, Elizabeth Lane and Milena Tasic co-created ‘Connect and Collaborate,’ a salon-style, in-person gathering that focuses on facilitating meaningful moments of community between people from all disciplines within the design space. Creativity is fostered, human connections are made, and innovation is sparked.
Connect and Collaborate: A Design Salon has been hosted at the Future Stories of Community exhibit at OCAD University (November 2023), the 2024 DesignTO Festival (January 2024) where it was the recipient of the People's Choice Award, and at OCAD University in partnership with OCADU CO (May 2024).
Here’s how it works. 2 hours, 3 stages.
Stage 1: Facilitated connection
As participants enter the event, they each receive a set of Connection Cards. Each card features a question, such as "What did you eat for breakfast today?" The questions range from light and fun to more thoughtful and deep. These cards are intended to facilitate connection, break the ice, and help build initial trust. This stage is all about mingling, mixing, and enjoying lots of laughter.
Stage 2: Focused group discussion
A focus topic is selected in advance, and all participants are brought together to engage in respectful dialogue. The hosts will expertly guide the discussion, ensuring all voices are heard.
Stage 3: Facilitated collaboration
Now that a foundation of trust and connection has been created, this is the participants’ chance to dive deeper with those with whom they resonated with. The cards from the first stage re-appear, this time as a medium for contact information exchange between participants.
Awards
2024 DesignTO Festival - People’s Choice Favourite Event
