Community Threads Exhibition – Design for connection and belonging with 3rd Year Industrial Design Students

• In-person event
• Incubator13 – Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre , Ottawa , ON , K1K 3A7

• Contact
• ID@carleton.ca

How can we design to promote integration, togetherness and belonging, strengthening the social fabric of our communities?

To answer this question, Carleton University design students under the guidance of Associate Professor Chiara Del Gaudio, have partnered with the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, to design proposals that support, celebrate and represent community values and emphasize connection through interactive, inclusive and community-centred design.

The Rideau Community Hub (The Hub) is a decommissioned high school in Ward 13, Ottawa (815 St. Laurent Blvd). Its facilities are rented by local NGOs that provide services to underserved communities, including food security, employment, immigration support, digital literacy, and childcare. The Hub is perceived as a safe and trusted space, which is key to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.

The Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre is an non for profit organization that offers a range of social support and services aimed at empowering residents, fostering resilience, and promoting inclusion. Its activities address food insecurity and well-being through programs such as a food bank, Ottawa Community Food Partnership, Social Harvest, and Good Food Box. The Centre supports immigrants, older adults, and other local community members through services, programs, and volunteer opportunities. The Centre envisions “a safe, dignified, and fulfilling life for all Rideau-Rockcliffe residents.”
 

Anchored in Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre’s trusted role in the community, students set out to co-create solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and context-sensitive.

Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design and the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre invite you to view, participate in and explore these design proposals in an exhibition of student projects at Incubator13(link).