I am very delighted about the invitation by Prof. Jörg Petruschat to teach a design theory class of my own choice, so I am diving right into the purpose we have dedicated for our organisation Supernova Institute. Instead of being overwhelmed or paralysed by the complexity of the current global crisis, we are joining the quest for future-oriented solutions that take into account the well-being of all living species on our beautiful planet (humans, animals, plants).

This course is inviting the students to critically reflect the appropriateness and cost of the mindset, lifestyle and consumptional habits of the global north (aka. capitalism), and to learn about regenerative projects and attempts of living a more simple, reduced, local life focused around well-being and community. We will take off with scanning through relevant literature and theories, look at design methods and how to embed them meaningfully into the design process, using this to go through a couple of iterative design sprints to come up with first ideas and suggestions for future-oriented concepts of living consciously and intentionally interconnected.

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Making the most of the time with two kids at home during a pandemic, I have turned once again towards my second passion and continued on my path of studying the mind, heart and soul, this time training to become an officially recognized psychotherapist (Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie). It might seem odd but I have experienced various situations, where design challenges are deeply interwoven with a limiting, mostly unconscious mindset. The best example is The Love School Project, where it became obvious quite fast that nothing can change as long as the people are still enwrapped in a colonialistically dominated self-perception of dependence. Actually it was during my time in Kenya that I decided to dive deeper into the psychological realms, wanting to understand better how we and our beliefs are shaped and how they can be adjusted, turning trauma into resources and becoming more resilient. The need for introspection applies to all of us, especially regarding our cognitive dissonance when it comes to the global catastrophe we have created and I am excited to embed my knowledge more into the design related work I pursue.

Through the organisation “Landesjugendring” I have been conceptualising and running workshops in several refugee hostels in Berlin, embedding knowledge about the rights of children and adolescents in age-appropriate workshops around photography, building and playing (role play, theater etc.).  This work is very rewarding and deepened my wish to understand more about the psyche, especially when it comes to Trauma and how to help and support children with processing their experiences.

In January 2019, my son was born. My attention turned inwards, spending a wonderful 18 months with the baby and his proud big sister.

At this year’s Re:publica POP, I will debate together with Karim Chabrak (Coinsence), Peter Harris (Resonate), Kei Kreutler (Gnosis), and moderated by wonderful Ela Kagel (Supermarkt), about the impact blockchain already has and will have on our cultural and social structures, discussing topics like how to run a successful of coop, a systemic design approach, data-privacy and a new definition of development work. The way I see it: blockchain finally merges technology, design and spirituality and creates the next stage of consciousness. Don’t miss it!