Depending on your context, you may need more of some support team roles and fewer of others. If youâre working in an area where people have trauma, the healer and community connector will play considerable roles upfront and throughout. In that instance, it would be insensitive and risky to jump straight into design activities such as autobiographical journey mapping or brainstorming ideas (read: trauma-informed practice).
đ¤ Convener: Holds the overall group work**.** Skilled in inclusive, creative and participatory facilitation. Supports the delivery of something new/remixed.
đ¤ Design coach: Supports the co-design team and anyone else involved in co-design to think and work differently. While the coach doesnât have to be a university-trained âdesignerâ, they need deep skills in discovery, design and prototyping.
đ¤ Coordinator: Looks after the practicalities of gatherings. Is great at planning and logistics; is a kind and clear communicator who makes people feel at ease.
đ¤ Healer: Supports the healing of people and relationships before, during and after co-design. Depending on your context, you might need someone with a clinical background (e.g. psychology, social work) or peer work skills, or you might need a spiritual or faith-based healer. Importantly, they are connected to the people youâre working with in a meaningful way.
đ¤ Community connector: Creates a bridge between the support team and a community of focus. Thinks highly of people with lived experience, including caring for all people in a community or area, not only the people they like; can see people as co-producers, instead of solely as recipients of services.
Listen to your community connectorâs advice. If they tell you now isnât the time for co-design, listen to them.
Support team members should understand and practice of the mindsets and to support others to adopt the mindsets for themselves. They should also have the following capabilities:
Support team members are oriented towards hope and optimism (appropriately tempered), with resilience and a sense of humour to manage difficulties as they arise. Itâs excellent to have an artist in your support team to make complex information accessible.
One person canât play all support roles. Co-design is a team sport â we need friends to point out our blind spots, biases and limiting beliefs. We need people with whom we can plan, debrief about the wins and vent about the challenges. Co-design is rewarding and challenging.
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