Human-Centred Design Lab

AC students document Yazidi genocide in online portal

Students in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program at Algonquin College have developed a framework for an online resource portal cataloguing the genocide against the Yazidi people, as well as their culture and traditions. The project is one of many submitted for the next RE/ACTION Showcase on Friday, Aug. 12, where students will showcase leading-edge applied research to an audience of peers, faculty and community partners.

In partnership with Yazidi Legal Network, student researchers Anne Millar and Benjamin Varghese conducted research to envision what the portal could look like and developed a framework within the scope of the project. Their findings will serve as a proof-of-concept to create a database on crimes against Yazidis for various user groups, including human rights lawyers, academics, humanitarian workers and the Yazidis themselves.

Yazidis are Kurmanji-speaking peoples indigenous to the Kurdistan region. Canada has officially recognized the genocide of the Yazidi people by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, over 1,400 Yazidi survivors of Daesh have resettled in Canada as of January 2021.

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Algonquin College student selected to participate in WDO Young Designers Circle

Algonquin College student Muhammad Khan has been selected to participate in the World Design Organization’s (WDO) Young Designers Circle. A learner in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program, Khan is one of only two Canadians joining 20 young designers from 15 different countries selected for the 2022-2023 program.

The WDO is a non-governmental organization with United Nations (UN) Special Consultative Status, supporting design initiatives for industry, business, products, systems and services. Launched in 2020, the Young Designers Circle brings together cross-disciplinary international designers under the age of 30. Under the direction of three design coaches, the young designers help to further WDO’s mission of using emerging best practices to make recommendations which address design challenges.

“The World Design Organization has brought together young people from around the world. There are people from all different backgrounds, like industrial designers, or in the urban planning space or architecture. It’s a good mix of different design disciplines,” said Khan. “Over the next two years the other designers and I will be working on different projects, both ones that we’ve pitched and ones assigned to us.”

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AC students developing resource database on the Yazidi genocide

Learners in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program at Algonquin College are developing an online resource cataloguing the genocide against the Yazidi people. In partnership with Yazidi Legal Network, the resource will serve as a database on crimes against Yazidis for human-rights lawyers and activists.

Yazidis are Kurmanji-speaking peoples indigenous to Kurdistan. Canada has officially recognized the genocide of the Yazidi people by Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, over 1,400 Yazidi survivors of Daesh have resettled in Canada as of January 2021.

Student researchers Anne Millar and Benjamin Varghese are working with the College’s Human-Centred Design Lab to design a database prototype for Yazidi Legal Network. The database will assist in identifying crimes and categorizing them as war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. User groups who will access the database include legal professionals, human rights activists, educators and the public. Continue reading →