Our latest newsletter is out now! Featuring learning about community-led impact from the Old Kent Road Family Zone, new research on youth-centred co-design and the latest work we are doing with partners to address the impact of child poverty.
Read it here: lnkd.in/eRKxR79t
#SystemicChange
Image of a rocket made out of triangles and squares. Text reads Dartington Service Design Lab newsletter. Research Insights, Training Opportunities, Reflections on systems change
Our newsletter shares learning from our research, new approaches and tools, as well as invites to future systemic change events.
If you're working towards a future where every child and young person can thrive, join us here: mailchi.mp/3b208a5c9830/sign-up-for...
💡What do young people say about being involved in Uniformed Youth Organisations?
See our short video below for some of the key findings of our recent research and read the full reports here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/...
Our new blog and four case studies show how youth organisations – when properly funded and trusted – can build powerful partnerships that improve young people’s mental health.
Hallmarks of their success? Trust, shared values, time, and flexibility.
🔗 Read more: www.ukyouth.org/2026/04/from...
Our new blog and four case studies show how youth organisations – when properly funded and trusted – can build powerful partnerships that improve young people’s mental health.
Hallmarks of their success? Trust, shared values, time, and flexibility.
🔗 Read more: www.ukyouth.org/2026/04/from...
We’ve published a set of Miro Boards to support your use of our #AntiRacism Action Framework, designed to help you reflect on how the activities you undertake in research and design work translate to your anti-racist responsibilities.
vist.ly/4wrc9
💡Recommended reading: new paper on place-based co-design centring youth and community participation
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#YouthMentalHealth #CoDesign #SystemsChange #Participation #ChildMentalHealth #SystemicChange #PlaceBased #Kailo
"This work sits at the heart of Dartington's mission to tackle complex challenges with and for children and young people, and to build better futures where all young people can thrive." - Tim Hobbs, CEO of Dartington Service Design Lab
We're excited to begin work with @placematters.bsky.social as Learning and Support Partners on Communities for Children - an ambitious new place-based programme working to address the impact of child poverty across the UK, led by BBC Children in Need.
Learn more: www.dartington.org.uk
March 2026 newsletter - Dartington service design lab
🗞️ Our latest newsletter is out now!
With the arrival of Spring, we're reflecting on how change in living systems is rarely instant, but that it takes time and it needs fertile, ready conditions to thrive.
Read the full newsletter here: mailchi.mp/dartington/d...
Exploring the roles in our anti-racism action framework. Role 4 - The Mapper
The role - visualising systems and structures. The Mapper maps systems, actors, gaps and opportunities to better understand evidence, systems, power and influence. Your equity focus is visibility, structure, and how systems reproduce oppression/discrimination.
Questions to reflect on: Who is/isn't in the room participating in this mapping process? OR whose perspective is this map representing? Who holds powers (formal, informal, relational, narrative) in this system? Who benefits from how he system/map currently operates? Who is harmed? Are your outputs perpetuating racism in anyway?
Things to keep in mind - your role can change over time. Roles are not mutually exclusive and you may be playing multiple roles. All stakeholders in your work will be playing a role - involve them in the Framework, discuss with them what roles you are each playing.
One of the roles in our Anti-Racism Action Framework is The Mapper.
Find out if this is one of the roles you play by using our interactive tool here: form.jotform.com/253112168394...
See the full Framework: www.dartington.org.uk/anti-racism-...
Image of a rocket made out of triangles and squares. Text reads Dartington Service Design Lab newsletter. Research Insights, Training Opportunities, Reflections on systems change
We send a newsletter every six weeks, sharing learning from our research, new approaches and tools, as well as invites to future events.
If you're interested in working towards a future where every child can thrive, join us here: mailchi.mp/3b208a5c9830/sign-up-for...
One of the roles in our Anti-Racism Action Framework is the Influencer for Anti-Racism.
Find out if this is one of the roles you play by using our interactive tool here: https://form.jotform.com/253112168394355
See the full Framework: www.dartington.org.uk/anti-racism-action-frame...
It's #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek and Place2Be are asking a really interesting and important question: what would it take for our systems to actively help children and young people feel like they belong?
Read our reflections in our latest blog: www.dartington.org.uk/latest-news/...
Work experience is vital in supporting young people to access future employment and opportunities.
We’re excited to share an animation for employers, produced with young people in our Kailo project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKbq_IWPrkc
We’ve published a set of Miro Boards to support your use of our Anti-Racism Action Framework, designed to help you reflect on how the activities you undertake in research and design work translate to your anti-racist responsibilities.
https://miro.com/templates/search/?term=dartington
🗞️ Our first newsletter of 2026 is here!
We're spotlighting a great animation on work experience recently developed with young people involved in Kailo, and we're sharing some new resources to support you in embedding anti-racist practice.
Read the newsletter here: mailchi.mp/dartington/d...
One of the roles in our Anti-Racism Action Framework is the Youth and Community Champion.
Find out if this is one of the roles you play by using our interactive tool here: https://form.jotform.com/253112168394355
See the full Framework: www.dartington.org.uk/anti-racism-action-frame...
Making sense of complexity: participatory group model building in action. Megan Keenan.
How can we better understand the challenges young people face in accessing mental health support? We've been exploring this in Participatory Group Model Building workshops:
www.dartington.org.uk/latest-news/making-sense...
One of the roles in our Anti-Racism Action Framework is the Evidence Bringer.
Find out if this is one of the roles you play by using our interactive tool here: https://form.jotform.com/253112168394355
See the full Framework: www.dartington.org.uk/anti-racism-action-frame...
Image of a rocket made out of triangles and squares. Text reads Dartington Service Design Lab newsletter. Research Insights, Training Opportunities, Reflections on systems change
2026 is going to be a busy year in the world of systems change with children and young people! Keep up to date with learning from our research, new approaches and tools, as well as invites to future events by joining our mailing list: mailchi.mp/3b208a5c9830/sign-up-for...
To consider: Think about discrimination, racism and values alignment in whether or not you proceed with an opportunity. Does the focus, language or assumptions in the tender perpetuate or exacerbate stereotypes or discrimination? Reflect on if you are best placed to do this work, or should you step back or share it with others? How do your team's identities and lived experience impact this work? Establish open dialogue on identities and dynamics that may show up in the work and that may reinforce discrimination. What does meaningful participation and inclusion look like in this project? Is the methodology selected considering equity and discrimination? Consider your role and the role of potential partners - establish anti-racist values and practices with all stakeholders. Centre anti-racism in ethics processes. Document challenges and incidents of discrimination. Have ongoing reflective spaces. Consider bias and racism in outputs. Ensure the team's wellbeing is supported.
🔄 Part one of our #AntiRacism Action Framework is about considering equity at every stage of a project or piece of work. It provides a series of actions and questions to consider at each stage.
Learn more about the Framework, free for anyone to use: vist.ly/4k79k
#Research #Design #Equity
🗞️In case you missed it, our last newsletter for 2025 is out now!
We're reflecting on what we're thankful for and what we're proud of from the last twelve months, and we're looking ahead with excitement to what comes next.
Read more: mailchi.mp/dartington/dsdl-jan2025-...
Reflective practice and learning spaces, People, processes, practice and policies, Reporting processes and policies, Knowledge production and dissemination, Partnership formation, Organisational strategy and theory of change - these are all areas across our organisation that underpin the embedding of anti-racist practice within our project work.
💡 At Dartington we sustain our anti-racist practice through embedding anti-racist and equitable practice in every element of our work.
This shows up in different ways across different parts of our organisation. See more here: vist.ly/4j5vg
December 2025 newsletter
🗞️ Our final newsletter for 2025 is out now!
We're reflecting on what we're thankful for and what we're proud of from the last twelve months, and we're looking ahead with excitement to what comes next.
Read the newsletter here: mailchi.mp/dartington/d...
#SystemsChange #AntiRacism #TraumaInformed
Image of a rocket made out of triangles and squares. Text reads Dartington Service Design Lab newsletter. Research Insights, Training Opportunities, Reflections on systems change
Keep up to date with learning from our research, new approaches and invites to future events by joining our mailing list. We send a newsletter every 6 weeks about driving systems change with and for children and young people. Join us: mailchi.mp/3b208a5c9830/sign-up-for...
What role do you play in embedding anti-racist practice in your work?
Use our interactive tool to help you consider the actions needed to embed anti-racist practice in your work: https://form.jotform.com/253112168394355
#AntiRacism #AntiRacistPractice #Research #Design #Equity
📸 Opportunity
We're looking to expand our image library to tell richer visual stories about #SystemsChange in a #CoProduction #Photography project with the young people and communities we work with.
Full brief and info here, with responses accepted until 31st December: lnkd.in/erxAdHZY
Doing the work together: insights from our Anti-Racism Action Framework launch event
www.dartington.org.uk/latest-news/...
#AntiRacism #Research #Design #AntiRacistPractice
🚀 Sharing our new Anti-Racism Action Framework – a free tool for researchers and designers!
We are committed to embedding #AntiRacism across our practice. To support across our sector we've published our new Anti-Racism Action Framework, find it here: www.dartington.org.uk/anti-racism-...
💭 There is power in pulling together
Read our thoughts on this week's #AutumnBudget here: www.linkedin.com/posts/dartin...
#PlaceBasedBudgets #CYP #BestStartInLife #TwoChildLimit #ChildPoverty #SystemsChange
