Ali Reza Yawari, Muna Baroud, Emplace, Indonesia

The Transition Living Lab – Design framework has been instrumental in shaping Emplace Youth Initiative’s approach to youth empowerment and refugee integration. Through our co-facilitation involvement with the Refugee Transition Network team and partner institutions in 2023, we were introduced to the Transition Design framework, which focuses on shifting mindsets and identifying intervention points within systems over time.

Together with our partner institutions, we applied this framework through hands-on workshops recently in 2024. We have created spaces where refugee youth are encouraged to envision and design systems of environmental justice, rooted in their cultural values and traditional knowledge. These workshops have been transformative, not only equipping participants with creative and designerly competencies but also boosting their self-confidence and sense of belonging. Many attendees including members of Emplace reported positive feedback in feeling reconnected to their sense of self and purpose, breaking out of isolation, and fostering meaningful friendships through this workshop.

The Transition Living Lab model, with its focus on experiential learning and co-design, has allowed participants to see themselves as agents of change, capable of envisioning new futures and leading systemic transformations. By shifting the narrative from a deficit-based view to a strength-based approach, our workshop encouraged and highlighted the invaluable contributions that displaced youth bring to their communities. This collaborative environment deepened their understanding of local challenges as well as nurtured leadership and innovation that can empower them to shape their own futures.

Ali Reza Yawari – Emplace Co-Founder and Executive Director
Muna Baroud: Emplace Co-Founder and Programme Coordinator

Link to Emplace LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emplace-initiative/