The Team
The Team
Case Studies
Case Studies
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Case Study: Center for Social Innovation, NYC – Athlete Ally
Challenge: "How might we better understand attitudes and practices around LGBTQ inclusion in sports at the high school level? Design a pathway for Athlete Ally to connect with high school students around solving structural issues of LGBTQ inclusion in sport."
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Athlete Ally is an advocacy organization that promotes LGBTQ inclusion policies for athletes. The organization has been successful in impacting policy at the college level through the NCAA and similarly through unified governing bodies at the professional level. Impacting change at the high school level is much more complicated due to the absence of a unified athletic governing body across the states and diverse political and social forces at the state and local levels.
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Solution
The Ramsey Design Lab, using the Stanford University d. school “design thinking” methodology, surveyed and interviewed a wide range of constituencies at the high school level to gather insights regarding attitudes and policies related to LGBTQ inclusion. In Addition, featured interviews were conducted with advocates such as Mack Beggs, high school wrestler, Ariel Nicholson, high school LGBTQ activist, and Adam Rippon, figure skating Olympian.
In the absence of a unified governing body and a unified LGBTQ movement at the high school level, the Ramsey Design Team designed strategies for “educating and unifying future policy makers” (Generation Z). Five areas of impact were identified: education, dialogue, safe and supportive environment, empowerment, and messaging.
Innovative solutions included:
New World
An augmented reality (and VR) interface app in which the user travels the world as an athlete, participating in athletic events and experiences, interacting with a diverse collection of human characters, learning with and through their unique perspectives and experiences along the way. The app teaches acceptance and normalizes the LGBTQ+ community.
AllEyes
A video-based social media app that empowers “allyship” through action, large and small. The app provides access to action (personal, social, legislative, etc.) taken by outstanding allies at the high school, college, and professional level through a social media video interface, organized by state. The app celebrates, unifies and promotes social action and offers those who want to institute systemic change various opportunities and suggestions on how to do so.
