By José Carlos Barillas

From February 12 to 16, 2024, ASPIRE’s first Creative Capacity Building (CCB) training took place in San Juan La Laguna. Developed by the MIT D-Lab, the CCB workshop taught participants how to join together and co-create low-cost solutions to local problems with local resources. Participants learned and practiced the CCB design process (from identifying a shared problem to prototyping), basic maker skills, and teamwork. (1)

Adilia Blandon, ASPIRE researcher, working on a prototype with one of the workshop participants. Photo: Link4

The process first began at a previous meeting, when trainers and trainees first met and shared their expectations about the workshop, an important step in the CCB process that facilitates success for both trainers and trainees. They dug into CCB methodology on the first day of training, where participants learned about the CCB design cycle. Next they explored the “Skills Developer” phase, putting their developing skills to use by manufacturing a corn sheller. The corn sheller served as a warm-up, as their next task involved completing a full CCB cycle by identifying a local need and prototyping ways to address the need together. They began this process at the end of the second day when participants teamed up into three groups to identify and frame problems within the community and possible solutions to those problems.

Developing the corn sheller prototype. Photo: Link4

On the third day, participants continued exploring solutions, ending with each team choosing their favorite local issue to address. Models and mock-ups of a prototype that would solve their problem were designed on paper, and presented by the participants for feedback. On the fourth day, materials were purchased, and their prototypes came to life. Participants tested, adjusted, and discussed the results of their proposed solutions. On the fifth day, participants continued to work on their prototypes, carrying out additional tests and presenting their final product prototype. All three prototypes were developed using materials available within the community.

Building the clothes dryer prototype. Photo: Link4

Prototype #1: The first group developed a jar opener, selected because one of the participants noticed that his grandparents and others had difficulty opening jars due to weakness in their hands. Therefore, this prototype was proposed to help them open the jars independently.

Participant demonstrating the can opener prototype. Photo: Link4

Prototype #2: Group two prototyped a mobile sink. The group had observed tourists and residents needing to wash their hands around town without any sinks or water on hand. They developed a mobile sink that would not only address this need but also create revenue for the venue providing the service. This prototype was placed in the craft store of one of the participants to test its use.

Presenting the clothes dryer prototype. Photo: Link4

Prototype #3: The third group prototyped a clothes dryer. This idea came in response to an increased difficulty for community residents to find a place in their homes to dry clothes in the sun. With the expansion of home and hotel construction in San Juan La Laguna in recent years, this problem has become increasingly difficult for residents. During the rainy season, drying clothes becomes even more challenging, especially huipiles and coats, which are thicker and take longer to dry.

The importance of developing creative capacities

The cultivation of creative skills is vital for communities, particularly in rural settings, fostering their inclusion and active engagement within the broader spectrum of the country’s innovation culture. These trainings provide the opportunity to establish replicable models that interweave academia and communities in meaningful collaborations, empowering them to recognize and address local challenges collectively.

Moreover, these trainings support the development of prototyping skills, including tool proficiency and technique refinement. This equips the community with the capability to continually address future challenges by using the design cycle as a guide and applying their manufacturing skills to materialize innovative solutions.

Participants worked on developing their creative abilities. Photo: Link4

These new creative skills are also helping to bridge and strengthen alliances between communities around Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) campuses. As unity is cultivated among the key actors in the ecosystem, their personal investment and continued support of this co-collaborative process is strengthened.

Who participates in a CCB workshop?

The ideal participant is over 18 years of age with creative skills, capable of finding original solutions to daily challenges, and carrying them out. He or she must be willing to collaborate and provide support to others, as well as to spread knowledge and experiences for the collective advancement of the group.

Participants’ first meeting for the CCB workshop. Photo: Link4

CCB Methodology: Certification

To deliver the CCB methodology using the MIT D-Lab approach, one must first participate in an additional training and certification process. Three individuals, Jeremías Morales, Magaly Tecum, and Lucía Dávila, began the certification process began on March 11, 2024, with the guidance of Amy Smith and Martha Thompson of the MIT D-Lab, to facilitate future workshops.

Participants from the CCB workshops in San Juan la Laguna. Photo: Link4

About the ASPIRE Project

The ASPIRE Project is a five-year, $15 million project funded by USAID and implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT), with the goal of creating a world-class, replicable model for how Latin American universities, in collaboration with the private sector, government, and local communities, can respond to local and regional development needs. The project implements a collaborative approach to research, teaching, innovation, entrepreneurship, and tech transfer, based on the combination of local assets and knowledge with MIT’s experience in the innovation ecosystem.

1. “Capacity Building” (MIT D-Lab) https://d-lab.mit.edu/approach/creative-capacity-building-ccb