Transition Living Lab 2025

The Transition Living Lab 2025 is a collaborative project organized by the University of the Arts London’s London College of Communication, the Faculty of Art and Design at Institut Teknologi Bandung, Just Transition Indonesia, and Emplace Youth Initiative. This initiative functions as an upskilling program designed for refugee youth in London and Cisarua. The program centers on participant-led live projects where attendees engage directly with the material through practice. The curriculum follows a social innovation structure, guiding participants through a sequence that moves from ideation and context research to mapping opportunities, prototyping solutions, and engaging stakeholders. The content focuses on community topics selected by the participants, ensuring the work remains grounded in their specific contexts and interests.

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The program works to cultivate four specific characteristics in its participants. The first characteristic is the System Thinker, defined as an individual who observes how various elements interconnect within a larger picture, engaging with both micro-level details and macro-level systems. The second role is the Design and Maker, which involves understanding design and innovation tools and applying technical skills to build solutions early in the process. The third characteristic is the Leader and Storyteller, focusing on the capacity to articulate narratives about potential futures and explain the importance of specific work to secure support. The final characteristic is the Connector and Convener, describing someone who establishes relationships and facilitates spaces where people from diverse backgrounds come together to link separate efforts into a broader movement.

The ten-week course uses the Double Diamond design process as its structural framework. This methodology divides the project timeline into four distinct phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. The process alternates between divergent thinking, where the group explores a wide array of possibilities, and convergent thinking, where they narrow their focus to specific choices. The schedule begins with a setup period for research teams in April, followed by a five-week active lab for the participants, and concludes with a production phase and final event in July. Workshops take place through a combination of online sessions and in-person gatherings at ITB and in Cisarua.

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The Transition Living Lab integrates a pedagogical approach that addresses both physical and mental aspects of learning. The schedule includes sessions for body movement with music, meditation, and mood check-ins. The facilitators cultivate an environment that encourages playfulness, allowing for illogical or unconventional ideas to stimulate creativity. The program works with concepts of transition changemaking that are political, focusing on power inequalities, and spiritual, viewed as an exchange of energy. This approach engages participants through various ways of knowing, combining practical design skills with personal and communal development.​