Adaptive Capacity Building
Why build adaptive capacity?
As the world around us continues to change it is clear that humans must also adapt in response. The multiple crises we currently face call for us to change on multiple levels, but without the skills to do so, we will stagnate. Business-as-usual threatens to be our greatest undoing, but challenging the status quo also requires adaptive capacity, not to mention imagination, regenerative cultures and a willingness to surrender to complex unknowns.
How do we build adaptive capacity?
Net Zero Lab has co-designed a process that uses mapping and co-research with gameplay to discover systems and their problems with people in communities, government and organisations. Our process has been designed for community engagement with low contact and socially distanced scenarios in mind.
When people can't come together to participate, we deliver the opportunity to participate to the people!
How does it work?
Our 'workshop in a box' invites community members to bounce ideas off of one another using a pass-the-parcel mode of participation. You might not get to meet the people in your workshop but you'll still be able to bounce your ideas off of theirs, play games, leave hidden clues or send notes for the next person to find.
Our processes have been designed to encourage empathy between community members, to inspire creative thinking about how we might respond to different crises, and to get comfortable with the discomfort and messiness of change.
The image pictured here is from one of our scrappy-go-lucky prototype experiments; we often use small scale experiments to test our ideas. The data you are seeing is from lab members and their family. It isn't 'real' data and does not belong to any of our project participants.
Not keen to pass the parcel?
We also facilitate a digital version of our capacity building game for those who would rather participate online.
Every time we play the game with a new group it has different outcomes and brings new insights about how we play, how we participate and how we collaborate during times of crisis.
Want to play?
We have an open call for participants for our Food Futures project which plays this game as part of a discovery process exploring the food system from multiple perspectives. You can sign up to play online or to participate through the workshop in a box.
If you'd like us to develop a tailored version of the game specific to your context or problem space please get in touch to discuss what's possible.