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ServicesKelowna, BC · Canada

Co-design partnerships

Collaborative design processes that help you define and build new programs, services and organizations, with the people they are for.

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The toolkit of co-design helps a group move from "what's possible" to "what we're doing next." We bring the process and the facilitation; you bring the decisions, the relationships and the know-how of your field.

Ways to work together

  • Sprints A focused week to make rapid progress on a challenge, build testable solutions, and test them with your community. One week, plus planning and a follow-up · From $9,000
  • Projects Map the system, engage your community, and come back with a full understanding of the current reality. Usually 2 to 4 months · From $12,000
  • Partnerships A backstage partner over a season: we help you steer the process and grow your own capacity along the way. 6 to 12 months · From $20,000

When it helps

  • You're launching something new: a program, a service, or a whole organization.
  • An existing offering needs a redesign, and the people who use it should shape it.
  • A strategy needs real ownership from the people who will carry it out.
  • Your team wants to build its own co-design skills while doing real work.

Probably not a fit if

  • You won't be able to involve the people the work is for.
  • Nobody at the table is equipped to make decisions.
  • The answer is already decided, and you're delaying action.

What Foundry Said

“Our team at Foundry BC had a very positive experience working with Co.school. Kevan is a tremendously skilled facilitator, communicator and collaborator who was able to bring to life our vision and values, all while centering co-creation and community engagement. We could not have done it without him and his team. Looking forward to future opportunities to work together!”- Nancy Zhao, Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization Specialist, Foundry BC

How it starts

  1. A free intake call Let's book twenty minutes to hear what you're facing, and whether we're a fit.
  2. A proposal We'll get back to you with a plan, including suggested approach, timeline and pricing. Shop around, share with the team, think about it!
  3. Make and test Workshops, prototypes and tests with your community, with a clear plan for what's next.

Ready to find a more human, creative way forward?

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Led by

Kevan Gilbert

Founder and principal facilitator of Co.school, in Kelowna, BC.

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Kevan Gilbert, Co.school

Go deeper

Note What makes co-creation work Let's talk about what co-design needs, to be effective. Note Finding collaborative design & innovation support in Kelowna: in-house, big firm, or boutique? When it’s time to renew a strategy, run an innovation lab, or move through a service design process, how do you pick a partner in the Okanagan? Learning resource Book: Pocket guide to design thinking A pocket guide to leading design thinking confidently and inclusively, and avoiding its common pitfalls. Learning resource A mini-class on design thinking A free mini-class on applied, creative problem solving for communities facing crisis or complexity. Learning resource How to know when to use co-creation Co-creation isn't right for every situation. A simple filter to tell when it is. A free PDF.

Stories from the field

All Co-design partnerships stories
Teaching & doing user research, with Vancouver Foundation Co-design partnerships Teaching & doing user research, with Vancouver Foundation Supporting a major BC foundation with applied UX and AI skill-development. Re-designing a Canada-wide volunteer program Co-design partnerships Re-designing a Canada-wide volunteer program Working with Canadian Cancer Society to re-map Wheels of Hope Supporting the launch of the BC Disability Collaborative Co-design partnerships Supporting the launch of the BC Disability Collaborative How Co.school's facilitation helped co-create the BCDC