Co-Well: the Kick-Off
30-09-2020
On Tuesday September 29. the Kick-Off meeting took place for the research project Co-Well: Co-Creative Methods for Distance Welfare. Marije Kanis, project leader, and researcher Joey van der Bie -both working for Digital Life- guided this online meeting. A group of about 20 people was present, working in the field of health and well-being or in the creative, digital sector.
The Meet-Up - with an interactive character - had several goals to achieve:
- define the research project more strongly in line with the articulation of demand
- jointly sharing our professional challenges in supporting wellbeing at a distance
- explore new solutions with creative digital means
- compose the consortium
The reason for this research - financed with Seed Money via ACIN - is that the COVID-19 pandemic is putting our physical, social and mental well-being under pressure. Digital solutions such as accessible maker tools, physical interfaces, Internet of Things and smart sensors can alleviate this pressure.
Questionnaire
During the Meet-Up, all attendees filled in a questionnaire on the spot for an initial inventory of everyone's knowledge and experiences, dilemmas, possible solutions as well as needs for the future of Co-Well.
The plenary discussion of the directly generated outcomes yielded instructive output. The online dashboard Miro was a useful tool. The various objectives of the afternoon could all be ticked off.
Some shared dilemmas and solutions
- How can we arrive at a new approach and platform that better meets the needs of people with different vulnerabilities and their beloved ones?
- Building a relationship of trust with clients and research participants is more difficult; building a good overview of the problem situation and setting is also more difficult if you cannot be on location.
- The problem is the lack of serendipity and creativity in working online. The solution: 'Switch to face-to-face meetings.'
- Think from a needs perspective to decide what is needed and how to approach this in a creative (online) way. It is expected that it will not so much be new technical tools, but also the organization and cooperation that are central to this.
Finally, most participants indicated that the theme is very topical - and to some extent urgent - for them. Still, a few were left with the necessary question marks after this Kick-Off. It also turned out to be difficult to actively involve everyone in the online session.
'The New Normal'
In the meantime, Digital Life and the research team are continuing to explore new digital co-creation methods to help vulnerable groups, among others, live happily and healthy again. Also in 'the new normal'. We are also working on the development of the so-called 'Co-Well Professional: Connected Creative for Wellbeing' for a follow-up study.
COVID-19 continues to challenge Digital Life in a creative way!