At Pontio, in North Wales, a new Masters by Research in Relational Design (#api_MRRD) is designed to help you make a positive step-change in a live wellness project for a region.
One project scenario could be to re-invent Outward Bound as a co-operation platform that connects citizens, sports adventure companies, and public bodies.
Born in Wales in 1941, Outward Bound began as a school on the coast of Wales that helped train seamen for the harsh life of working at sea. The model soon expanded to include outdoor, adventure-based, programs that enabled individuals and groups to explore nature and test their physical and mental strength.
Today, more than half of European adults are overweight; obesity has tripled in many European countries since the 1980s. Governments have started to start taxing unhealthy food and beverages – but they struggle to connect health, sport, and education programmes. The focus of the private sector, too, has been on transactions – “sell more adventures” – than on longer-term, system-wide relationships.
On the plus side, millions more people than one might think already engage with the natural environment. They visit the countryside, enjoy green spaces in towns and cities, watch wildlife, and volunteer to help protect the natural environment.
What’s missing are networks and connections. A Relational Design masters could be a timely opportunity to reinvent Outward Bound as a cooperation platform that connects citizens, sports adventure companies, and public bodies.
