Turning Schoolkids into Plastic Problem-Solvers
Background
Can sixth graders lead India’s plastic revolution using the design process as their superpower?
Plastic waste is a growing concern in rural India one that’s often seen as someone else’s problem. Pratham wanted to change that by building awareness and action from the ground up starting with children.
As part of their Creativity Club initiative, Pratham partnered with TinkerLabs to design and deliver a series of 2-day Design Thinking camps across multiple states.
Approach
A partnership with Pratham to equip rural middle-schoolers with Design Thinking skills enabling them to tackle real-world plastic waste problems in their villages.
- Anchored in findings from the research conducted by Pratham across 700 villages (from 70 districts)
- Designed and delivered a 2-day residential Design Thinking Camps which were experiential and solution focussed
Rolled out across 16 camps, 500 students, and 11 locations in 4 states (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh)
Key Strategic Lever
Output
- 60+ prototypes created, tackling problems like:
- Lack of home waste segregation
- Overflowing community bins
- Animals eating plastic
- Plastic burning in stoves
- Lack of home waste segregation
- Ideas ranged from modular compact bins, gamified segregation tools, and community incentive models, to solar lamp bags and plastic-powered greenhouses
- Tested with community members and judged by experts
- Students became plastic-literacy ambassadors in their schools and villages
- Schools reported increased awareness and ownership of plastic waste challenges
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