Social contracts
Social contracts guide the activities of Mixplace Studio. The contracts articulate mutual responsibilities and expectations among the individuals and institutions involved in the year-long curriculum of activities. This is necessary because our identities and activities frequently shift over the course of each year.
A central aspect of the social contract is that youth, students, coordinators and institutions commit to following each other for the year. At People's Emergency Center (PEC), youth researchers from West Philadelphia neighborhoods commit to guiding design students through their neighborhoods. At PennDesign, design students commit to guiding the youth researchers through academic resources and other forms of visualization. At Slought, cultural producers commit to guiding the youth researchers and graduate students through other forms of presentation and display.
The Process
To make a social contract, we begin by filming short portraits of each member of the studio. Everyone is asked to respond to the following questions:
- State your name, your neighborhood, and your role in Mixplace?
- What are some social issues you are interested in and Mixplace can or needs to address?
- What are you worried about and what pressures and concerns do you have as you begin?
- What are your hopes and aspirations for yourself, the others involved, and the project?
- What do you expect from the youth researchers, design students, coordinators, and institutions involved?
- Is there anything else you would like to say at this time to the group or to any of those involved?
After, the individual reviews their portrait and selects a representative statement. The social contract takes effect once all individual statements have been joined together, viewed together, and shared online.