DESIGN FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION WITHIN A VULNERABLE GROUP. LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE EXPERIMENTATION VIVICALUSCA IN ITALY.

This contribution outlines the project ViviCalusca as an experimentation of enhancing social innovation within a vulnerable group in Milan, living in a public housing located in Vicolo Calusca. The aim of the project was to over- come their situation of fragility by engaging them in various activities and applying a set of diverse approaches and techniques, coming from theatre, sociology and design. As researchers in design for social innovation, we mainly used co-design and service design methods and tools: more precisely we planned a path of light co-design sessions to activate a sustainable micro-economy of exchange and gift among people in the neighbourhood. This project led us to reflect upon our contribution as designers within a group with such a level of social vul- nerability: we understood that the co-design process itself was more important than results, as it worked better as a form of community engagement rather than producing effective ‘design’ results. Key Words: Design for social innovation, service design, collaborative services, vulnerable groups.