There are clear indications that food will become a critical issue in the future. Food insecurity remains the most basic and fundamental form of poverty, and it presents itself in new and challenging ways in a city such as Johannesburg, which does not support a farming sector.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) kicks off the UJ Green Week project, an inter-faculty collaboration project involving students and staff from the University’s Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Architecture, Communication Design, Visual Arts and Multimedia departments as well as the Faculty of Management and Faculty of Humanities Department of Strategic Communications, on Friday, 26 February 2016. The project is an exploration of the role that human-centred (participatory, community-based) graphic design can have on urban farming communities.
“Green Week is basically a massive Community Engagement project through service learning in which multi-disciplinary groups are introduced to small businesses,” says Christa van Zyl, Lecturer: Department of Graphic Design. “In 2016 specifically, UJ students have to develop a design solution for urban farmers involved with UJ Izindaba Zokudla, in any and all, fields taught at the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA), as well as a business plan to realise the project after the deadline.”
After the one week project, Strategic Communications second year students will plan to take the designs further under their lecturer, Rene Benecke, developing pitches, etc. Thereafter, Business Management students under Joyce Sibeko from Business Management in turn help seek funding to realise the designs. The projects will be managed by the UJ Enactus branch after Green Week.
| Programme
Session 1: Friday, 26 Feb 14:00 FADA Auditorium |
Briefing in FADA auditorium Introduction to Food security – Dr Naude Malan (UJ) Session on positive Group Work with Russell Rhebock Introduction to group members and stakeholders in FADA atrium
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| Groups to visit stakeholder sites during the weekend (if possible).
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| Session 2: Monday, 29 Feb
9:00 – 17:00 |
Film further Interviews with stakeholders, site visits!
Outline findings & responds to stated objectives by proposing a creative concept to the given brief
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| Session 3: Tuesday, 1 March
9:00 – 17:00 |
Rough sketches of designs, consultation
Draft business plan
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| Session 4: Wednesday, Thursday, 2 -3 March 9:00 – 17:00 | Craft designs and mock-ups, consultation. Preparation of presentation materials |
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Session 5: Friday, 4 March 11:00 |
Exhibition and judging of final designs, business plans Prize-giving for top 2 groups. |
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About UJ Green Week
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Green Week is an inter-faculty collaboration project involving all third year Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) students, as well as second year Entrepreneurship students (Faculty of Management), second year Strategic Communications (Faculty of Humanities) students and UJ Enactus. The purpose of this project is for Design, Architecture and Visual Arts students to apply multi-disciplinary Design Thinking methods to help specific stakeholders with problems within their small businesses. This is a 1 week community engagement project focused on service learning, team work and design for change.
