Sarah Schulman, Policy thinker & doer

Sarah started her career in elementary school as a sting agent with the Texas Department of Health. She went on to making laws as a youth advocate with the American Cancer Society and American Lung Association. By middle school, she discovered legislation was not enough.

So she founded Youth Infusion, working with state governments, local municipalities and national non-profits to engage users in program and policy design. There have been projects on tobacco, alcohol, obesity, sexual and reproductive health, and school engagement. But frustrated with these projects’ failure to grow, Sarah looked for other ways to think about and do change, both in and outside of systems.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Sarah has worked with central government departments in three countries to join-up policy with practice.

As a project lead for Participle, Sarah partnered with designers, entrepreneurs, ethnographers, service providers, policymakers and young people to radically redesign universal youth services.

As a legislative fellow, Sarah has worked with the US Congress to incrementally advance health and education reform agendas.

In all these roles, Sarah merged different methods and approaches: critical policy analysis, qualitative research, change management, action learning, and participatory pedagogies.

These methods and approaches are drawn from on-the-ground experience and academic training. Sarah holds a B.A (honors) in Human Biology, a M.A in Education from Stanford University, and a DPhil in Social Policy from Oxford University.

Selected works

Social enterprise

Loops
A platform to develop young people and communities through shared and surprising experiences. With Participle.

Service redesign

Participatory Research Dept
Live trial of ‘Participatory Research Dept’ for Rhode Island Dept of Public Health & Oregon Dept of Human Services. As Youth Infusion.

GameOver
Failed program for community conversations and inter-generational campaigning. With the American Cancer Society, Texas Division.

Capacity building

Bringing together senior civil servants to share best user engagement practice through Welsh Assembly Action Learning Set. With the Carnegie Young People Initiative.

Refocusing the National Network of Adolescent Health Coordinators on youth engagement. As Youth Infusion.

Youth Engagement Readiness Assessments for Wyoming Department of Health and National Network of School-Based Health Centers on how to move beyond consultation & directly engage users.

Training for New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development, US Dept of Labor, and UK Dept of Education & Skills on inter-agency collaboration.

Awareness raising

Keynote speeches for the Texas Association of School Health, American Association of School Health, Assets for Colorado Youth, ACT for Youth Upstate New York, American Diabetic Association, Kansas Department for Health, and Oregon Department for Human Services.

chrislongshot

Chris Vanstone, Design thinker & doer

In his early design career Chris worked with brand managers, marketeers and technologists to find the idea that would sell more perfume, biscuits and cameras. Then he got into crime; ‘thinking thief’ to redesign chairs and bags so they were less likely to get stolen.

Realising that a co-design approach could be applied to bigger things than sugary snacks; he’s spent the last five years putting design to work in addressing social issues; developing systems and services to address obesity, climate change, drug use, loneliness, and democracy.

Chris was founding member of the RED team at the Design Council; one the first groups in the UK demonstrate how user centred innovation can lead to radically different kinds of public services.

In 2007, he was a founding member of Participle, a social enterprise that aim’s to create the next generation of UK public services. Three services are currently in start-up; Circle – a practical help service for the over 50’s, Get-together – a social networking service for older people and Loops a platform to develop young people and communities.

Chris studied Product Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. His design work had been exhibited at MoMA New York, the Design Museum and V&A London and has been selected for the 2010 Cooper-Hewitt Design Trienale.

Selected works

Social enterprises currently in start-up

Loops
A platform to develop young people and communities through shared and surprising experiences. With Participle.

Get-Together
Subscription based social networking service for lonely & socially isolated older people. With Participle

Social enterprises currently operational

Circle
Neighbourhood based practical help service for over 50s. With Participle.

Green homes
Concierge service for London homeowners to green their property. With the Mayor of London and Ten UK.

Activemobs
Platform to turn everyday activities into beneficial and sustained exercise. With RED and Kent County Council.

Service redesign

Re-designing Headship
Co-design of new leadership models with 5 top headteachers & National College of School Leadership. With Colin Burns

Re-designing MPs
Redesiging MP’s engagement with constituents, 15 MP workshop, a week in constituency office. With RED.

Drugs
New proposal for drugs services developed with workers and users. With Participle and RSA

Awareness raising projects

Citizenship
Provocative redesign of voting, jury services & citizenship ceremony, expert workshops and magazine. With RED.

Home energy usage
Industry engagement, public competition & provocative concepts to save & make energy at home. With RED.

The Public Office
Three hour workshop introducing 130 senior civil servants to user centred innovation. With Kable.