Fix-ed – School Led Human Centred Design and Repair Program

Pimpama State Secondary College provided a brief to co-design and deliver an innovative educational program which: - prepared young Australians with strong social entrepreneurship, design and leadership skills to tackle future challenges (as recommended by the [FYA](https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-New-Basics_Update_Web.pdf)), - created social cohesion and built local community by tackling local issues *with* community members in the fastest-growing suburb outside any Australian capital city ([ABS, 2016](http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/lookup/3218.0Media%20Release12014-15)), - responded to the growing problem of waste presented by our linear consumption models, - provided opportunities for school staff to engage in, apply and be up-skilled in human-centred design and social enterprise.

Fix-ed presents a sustainable, scalable social enterprise education program which prepares youth with the necessary design, problem-solving, repair & leadership mindsets to respond to community problems with projects that deliver positive impact. Co-designed alongside teachers, students and community members, Fix-ed was born by engaging in an ongoing design thinking process. By engaging strongly with community members we used the double diamond to clearly define contextual community issues and respond in an innovative and inclusive way. Fix-ed has built social cohesion, partnered with local businesses & organisations, tackled a clear waste problem, upskilled teachers and provided mobility solutions for our ageing population.

Social Impact: Fix-ed students & teachers are armed with significant skills in participatory design, enterprise & repair to identify community problems & turn them into opportunities. Over their lifetimes, the potential for these participants to create further change is undeniable. Fix-ed's repaired & customised mobility scooters (based on identified needs) enter retirement villages for sharing amongst residents, improving quality of life by reducing social isolation and allowing them to become mobile. Environmental Impact: Fix-ed has currently diverted 15 broken mobility scooters from entering landfill (with the potential to multiply this number exponentially), alongside many other household items which will become part of future projects.

Environmental Impact: The culture of repair created during Fix-ed extends into our community, creating a more sustainable future, as participant's consumption habits change & they apply their HCD & repair mindsets to other products or systems. Commercial Impact: Fix-ed is ready to scale into other schools, not only multiplying the impact throughout other communities, but providing commercial benefits to the school & wider community. Community Engagement: Local businesses & organisations involved during the design process include Active Scooters, Pimpama Men's Shed, Bolton Clarke (previously RSL Care), TriCare Aged Care Facility, Substation33 & Youth Without Borders. Students from QUT & Griffith University have also participated in the program as mentors. Design Process: End-to-end user journeys were clearly mapped (during both program design & community beneficiaries) with key problems & opportunities clearly defined & articulated. Now in its second year of operation, Fix-ed is constantly iterating (and learnt a lot from the initial pilot) to ensure that the program is fit for both students, teachers & the wider community. Execution & sustainability: Students, staff & collaborators are engaged to deliver, own & improve the experience. Fix-ed has been systemised in an intelligent way to allow for quick scaling into other schools & communities. Innovation: Fix-ed is the first program of it's kind in schools globally.