OBJECTIVE
This module equips facilitators with the knowledge and skills to guide learners through the OBSERVE tool, fostering identity awareness and reflective practice. By the end of the module, facilitators will be able to:
- Present the OBSERVE tool and its purpose to learners in an engaging and accessible way;
- Support learners in completing the OBSERVE tool using multiple expressive formats;
- Interpret narrative, emotional, and symbolic responses to promote empathy and active listening;
- Create a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for learner reflection.
CONTEXT
This module marks the beginning of the training journey, a moment of openness, mutual acquaintance, and self-exploration. The WellHome project aims to empower people at risk of social exclusión – due to mental illness, disability, or other vulnerabilities – by training them as wellbeing-focused interior designers. While learners may not become fully qualified professional interior designers, the program aims to equip them with the skills to carry out meaningful spatial interventions that improve the quality of life for vulnerable groups – people with disability, older people, victims of violence, etc. – living in residences, supervised flats or shelters. These interventions are designed to create welcoming, functional, and emotionally supportive environments, demonstrating that even small, thoughtful changes can have a profound impact on wellbeing.
In this first part of the training program, learners engage directly with the OBSERVE tool to develop empathy and self-awareness, guided and supported by their educators. By reflecting on their own experiences, preferences, and emotional responses, they gain insight into the lived realities of others and begin to understand the responsibilities inherent in their future role. This process lays the foundation for designing spaces that are sensitive to the needs, vulnerabilities, and identities of those who will inhabit them. Through active participation, trainees cultivate the awareness, intuition, and relational skills necessary to approach spatial interventions thoughtfully and creatively, fostering a sense of agency and confidence while enhancing their employability in social and design-oriented contexts..
PURPOSE
The purpose is to establish a climate of trust and active listening that brings out valuable contributions to the design process.
PREPARATION
- Download the presentation to introduce the tool
- Print the LEARNER HANDOUT
- Print the OBSERVE tool
- Print the OBSERVATION & INTERPRETATION sheet
- Prepare drawing and collage materials (pencils, markers, stickers, magazines, scissors, etc.)
- Set up a welcoming, quiet environment
DURATION
1,5 – 2 hours
CONCLUSION
At the end of the module, facilitators guide learners in an open discussion to share their experiences with the OBSERVE tool. They reflect on insights gained, emotions felt, and any surprising or unexpected elements that emerged during the activity. This moment encourages listening, mutual understanding, and reinforces that learning occurs through practice – learners develop active listening, empathy, and self-awareness by engaging directly with the tool, reflecting on their responses, and sharing with others.
RELEVANCE TO SPACE RENOVATION
The relevance of this module lies in helping learners practice the skills needed to understand the people living in the they will improve. By using the OBSERVE tool, learners actively explore personal preferences, habits, and emotional responses, which allows them to uncover latent needs and understand the symbolic and affective aspects of living environments. Facilitators guide this process so that learners experience firsthand how attentive observation and empathy inform decisions that are aligned with the inhabitant’s identity, laying the foundation for future practical renovation activities.
Made with love by Wellhome team
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
