𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿-𝗟𝗲𝗱 & 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀-𝗛𝗞

purposeledcalvin
Jul 17, 2024
7 min read

00 | Engineers as Humans, Engineering for Humans

Since early 2022, I have been supporting the Re-Design of the Volunteer Engagement & People-Centric Training for 'Engineers Without Borders - HK' (EWB-HK), a local NGO in Hong Kong dedicated to bettering the lives of disadvantaged communities and promoting sustainability through engineering.

Raymond Lopinski (Ray), a Board member of EWB-HK, and Programme Director of their annual flagship program 'Global Citizenship Programme' (GCP) has been my co-pilot throughout the ongoing redesign process.

Ray, a veteran engineer, has been in Hong Kong since 1997. He has worked for and with multinationals in the industry his entire career. He identified TWO urgent needs among young engineers:

Engineers as humanitarians, which is essentially Human/People-Centricity in our design language. Ray's main concern is 'How can we engineer for humans if we are not human-centric?'
Equipping engineering students beyond technical skills, as he sees the missing link between higher education and employment needs in the market where people/customer connectivity, communications, collaboration, critical thinking, and storytelling skills are not emphasised in Engineering Faculties.

Design Purpose: For young engineers to adopt a People-Focus Mindset

Ray shared their challenges with me:

01 | The Challenges: COVID, Connect & Commit

Volunteers Design for Volunteers workshops

COVID stopped everything ...

Like any organisation at the time, the pandemic significantly impacted events, programming, and ultimately the engagement of volunteers-based members of EWB-HK.

There are many types of Engineering ...

We interviewed two very active and committed members at the time and learned that although they are all 'Engineers', it has not been easy to connect engineers of different disciplines (e.g. Civil, Biochemical, electronic... etc.,) to share a common interest or goals. Engineering appears to be a very siloed profession.

Young engineers are grinding to get accredited ...

EWB-HK runs several signature events and flagship programmes every year. They are all organised by volunteer OC (Organising Committee) members and have full-time jobs. It has been difficult to have them stay engaged and sustain commitments over time.

02 | The Shift: From Organiser-led to Volunteer-led

Programme Strategic Design Sessions with Programme Director (December 2022 & 2023)

Who Are We Designing For?

The first questions I asked were, 'WHO are we designing for?', 'WHY do we think they need this or that?', and 'WHAT differences does it make to them?'

Instead of running programs that we 'think' members, volunteers, or students might be interested in, we started interviewing them to better understand their needs, fears, and pain.

Design FOR them!

Through interviewing dozens of members who are either already employed, or studying Engineering at local universities, we could identify shared interests, challenges, and expectations from EWB-HK.

With this, we began the volunteer-led rather than organisation-led co-design process for both member and volunteer engagement, as well as the Global Citizenship Programme during the Fall & Winter of 2022.

03 | The Design Process: Of, For, and By the Young Engineers

Programme Co-Design sessions with volunteers (June - November 2022)

Inclusion united the volunteers

At one of our first OC team co-design workshops, a member shared that she felt excluded sometimes when attending EWB-HK's events. Right there and then, the team agreed to shift focus towards co-designing to ensure all members feel included at our events.

The genuine empathy towards fellow members and shared passion for being an inclusive organisation have united every volunteer in the room, and I was personally touched by them as their coach and facilitator.

Ownership through Real-Life Co-Design Process

Throughout 6 months and dozens of in-person workshops, online co-design working sessions, and member interviews, we were able to train an OC team to support us with the redesign initiatives.

With the process simulating a real-life design project, with clear roadmaps and accountability, the immersive training experience created ownership among the members, greatly enhancing commitments.

04 | Results from First Iteration (GCP 2023): Best Year Ever

Global Citizenship Programme 2023, (January - June 2023)

Expansion of Organising Committee Team

The biggest achievement from this first iteration of the redesign was the expansion from two do-it-all organisers to a proper organising team with eight essential members leading and contributing to different parts of the GCP Programme.

Best ratings since the programme launched

The cherry on top came from the undergraduate students/participants of GCP 2023, who rated the programme an overall 9 out of 10 - the highest since the programme was launched in 2017.

Reinforced Volunteers' commitments with new blood joining

Continuing the success in 2023, we expanded the OC team of six returning OC members adding 5 alumni from GCP 2023 to join as part of the OC team in 2024.

05 | Reflections: What worked, What didn't, and Wish to have

Global Citizenship Programme 2023 - Reflection Session (September 2023)

While achieving a great year of the programme together, as designers we believe 'everything is a prototype... '

As part of the Informed Design Practice, we invited OC members as well as student participants of GCP 2023 to reflect on the entire experience together and identified opportunities to improve and enhance the programme in 2024.

06 | Impact of Second iteration (GCP2024): Purpose Ignited, Equity in Action

Global Citizenship Programme 2024 - Systems Thinking, Design Thinking & Sustainability Workshops in Hong Kong, Online Training sessions with Youth in Myanmar (January - April 2024)

The 2024 GCP programme, had an even more diverse group, with some members coming from Central Asia and Russia, further enriching the cultural exchange among the students/participants.

As part of the Overseas Service Experience, we also designed and delivered our first Essential Business Skills Online Training for Youth in Myanmar through My Place, a local NGO in Yangon.

Global Citizenship Programme 2024 - Overseas Service Trip in Malaysia, Rainwater collection equipment installation for a local village (June 2024)

THREE highlights worth celebrating:

Individual sense of purpose ignited

After participating in the training and co-facilitating the online training for youth in Myanmar, one of the GCP 2024 students/participants volunteered to host online English tutoring sessions with the same NGO, expanding his purpose-led journey.

Six alumni of GCP 2023 joining the overseas trip again in GCP 2024 as OC members

The best measure of success of any programme is alumni returning to where they once were participants as volunteers to support new students/participants. This year six alumni joined us on the overseas trip as OC members - taking ownership of the planning and implementation of all aspects of the trip - and continuing their impact journeys with us.

Equity in Action

During the overseas service trip in Malaysia, it was impressive to witness the collaboration and determination of all students/participants as they completed their missions under challenging conditions of extreme heat and rain.

Particularly noteworthy was the leadership shown by our young female engineers, who excelled in handling physically demanding tasks. Their adeptness and initiative were inspiring and demonstrated the strength and capability inherent in our diverse team.

07 | Feedback & Reflections from GCP2024:

"It has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore the unknown. I improved my soft skills, learned more about what's happening around the world, and most importantly, learned more about myself. I will not forget the experience and how it has changed me."

"The GCP24 Program provided me with a place to strengthen my skills, and a wonderful experience of working with not only teammates from the program but also people in Malaysia... ... it inspired me how important teamwork and communications are, nothing could be achieved by one person, in other words, we can achieve anything with everyone together!"

"I feel like the GCP Program definitely contributed to my self-development, both through the trip and workshops. I loved the fact that it gave me insights into topics I had not really thought about before, overall it helped make me to become more well-rounded ... ... and I loved Calvin's workshops!"

"I really appreciate EWBHK for educating the kids, cuz I haven’t heard of fostered kids receiving this kind of education which is really fruitful to them, back in Myanmar when I was young. Just want to say thank you for sharing this chance with other students in HK. I feel really glad to know that Burmese youth are still taken care of and paid attention to by people outside of Myanmar amidst the things we are facing in the country."

08 | Looking Ahead to GCP2025:

September 2024, in a classroom at Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), like how I did with Raymond the past two years, I had the pleasure of strategizing the learning experience of GCP 2025 with Volunteer Programme Coordinator Dr. Stuart Robertson.

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

Super excited to see how the program is evolving and transforming from Organisation-Led to Volunteer-Led, and now towards Participants-Led, truly applying People-Centric Design in Learning Experience & Youth Leadership Development

09 | Special Thanks

Ignatius Alvin Wijaya , as one of our returning OC Core Members, thank you for showing up at almost every workshop. Your commitment sets a great example for the team. We value you!
Stuart Robertson , as my co-coach to the Myplace Online Training, your commitment and dedication to what we do is a critical part of what makes it work! I look forward to co-designing with you again soon.
Samuel C.N. TANG , as our sustainability expert and returning OC core members, your design maturity and insights in driving sustainability commercially are always invaluable to the programme.
Tiffany Fung , Oasis, Krista, and Sam Chan , thanks for getting the students there and back safe and fulfilled. Your contributions to the overseas trip in 2023 & 2024 have been ginormous!
Charlie, Terence Chan, Clarissa, Joanna, Jenit, and June, as GCP 2023 Alumnus and GCP 2024OC members, your contributions at each workshop, at the service trip, and online are what fuel the continuous success of the GCP. We look forward to your return in 2025.
Last but not least, Rainee Wong for supporting the initial Design Research process for the Members/Volunteers Engagement redesign back in 2022.