CoDesign Abroad and Design and Development Initiative (DDI) have invited design students from Sheridan College’s Craft and Design Furniture, Textile and Industrial Design Programs, to participate in a unique design program in Rajasthan province, India. For three weeks in May 2017, students will have the opportunity to learn about Indian craft, and participate in an immersive, collaborative design project with local craft makers.

The design journey begins in New Delhi, where the importance of craft within the fabric of everyday Indian life is the focus, as key cultural institutions are visited. From Delhi, it’s onto Jaipur, the Pink City of India, to gain a deeper understanding of the various craft techniques of the region. 

Then it’s on to the countryside where the group will work at the main campus of its Indian partner, the Barefoot College in Tilonia. Here students will engage directly with the community and artisans of Tilonia to gain an in-depth understanding of local crafts and culture through exploration, observation and interviews. Students and faculty will work with their new partners to identify meaningful problems and opportunities for design intervention. The time remaining will be spent implementing solutions. 

photos courtesy of Barefoot College











Students work collaboratively in this immersive program to equitably exchange ideas, develop an appreciation of different points of view and better understand different cultures and user groups. Through meaningful engagement, both students and community are empowered. Students gain real work experience on a rewarding and impactful project. The program also gives students a chance to improve their design skills and to see their designs impact larger systems.  

This culturally important trip also has the potential to inform thesis work, both within current studies and at the post-graduate level.


Our partners:

Design and Development Initiative, was established with three broad areas of interest: to promote indigenous crafts through inputs at design and production level and provide visibility through sales events in the international market, second, to initiate development projects amongst artisan and other deprived communities and third, to conduct research on socio-economic issues, with the hope that it impacts policy reform to help improve the quality of life of the communities they work with. Based in Canada, they represent both local as well as international development interests. 




For over 40 years, the Barefoot College has been the world’s only college for the rural poor. Their “one village at a time, one woman at a time” approach to development emphasizes their objective of spreading self sufficiency and sustainability. Adopted from the principles of Mahatma Ghandi, the approach has spread to more than 70 countries. https://www.barefootcollege.org