Social Experiments, Please! From SocialPLUS Conference Copenhagen, December 1, 2014.

Social+ Conference: (A collaboration with The Velux Foundation, SocialInnovationeXchangeNordic and Social+)website: http://socialeopfindelser.dk/english/

Yesterday at the Social+ conference in CPH.  The topics were  “Social Experiments”.

The challenge was–how to create a wider non-solution focused, but progressive open design-inspired approach to letting people experiment in creating social business and cultural interactions. Programme: http://socialeopfindelser.dk/wp-content/uploads/sociale-eksperimenter-konference-2014.pdf

The first speaker was Christian Bason, CEO Dansk Design Center. 

Christian has been director of MindLab, and Business Manager in Rambøll Management and has a renowned experience within Design Thinking and participatory process. His latest book ”Design for Policy” has just landed, and inspired from this, he focused on bringing Participatory Designs into an open experimental Social Design effort. 

The Conference was facilitated by Clement Kærsgaard, and opened by Andreas Hjorth Frederiksen, CEO, Social+. Andreas is the founder of Frivilligjob.dk – Mikrolån.dk Ungdommens Røde Kors, Red Barnet, Socialt Udviklingscenter SUS og senest været  direktør for KPH – a cooperative for innovative social and cultural start-ups.   

After the opening a Panel consisting of Vibeke Jensen, Head of Emplyment, Aarhus Municipality, Jesper Thyrring Møller, CEO, The Municipality of Hedensted, Dorthe Lysgaard, Projectmanager at the Tryg Foundation, Anders Folmer Buhelt, Manager of Affairs at The Youth Red Cross, Denmark, and Mads Roke Clausen, Director, The MotherHelp, Denmark. The Panel was under fire, by Clement as well as participants, asking how we can provide new frames for experimenting. All agreed to abandon the solution based approach for a more design, fail-forward experimental approach.