{"id":5327,"date":"2025-08-26T11:46:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T18:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colleges.claremont.edu\/thehive\/?page_id=5327"},"modified":"2025-09-02T11:24:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T18:24:05","slug":"amanda-eric-kounkuey-design-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/colleges.claremont.edu\/thehive\/fellowship-programs\/summer-fellowship-program\/summer-internship-grantee-program\/amanda-eric-kounkuey-design-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Amanda Eric – Kounkuey Design Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asante Sana from Nairobi, Kenya<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Amanda Eric (she\/they), Pomona College \u201825\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How I Got Here…<\/h3>\n

If you ever needed to find me at Pomona, chances were I was at The Hive. Literally\u2014when my friends checked \u201cFind My,\u201d it would almost always ping <\/span>The Hive<\/span><\/i>. Studying with friends? Hive. Writing letters to my pen pals? Hive. Taking <\/span>Intro to HCD<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Design Environmental for Behavioral Change<\/span><\/i>? You guessed it\u2014Hive. It became more than a creative space; it was my home base throughout college for dreaming, building, and connecting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last fall, while I was trying to make sense of my thesis, an email landed in my inbox: a Hive newsletter with a feature on <\/span>Chelina Odbert<\/b>, visiting professor at the Hive and CEO and Founding Principal of <\/span>Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI)<\/b><\/a>. Reading about her and KDI\u2019s participatory design approach\u2014where communities lead the way in naming problems and shaping solutions\u2014immediately sparked my curiosity. I wanted to see how this actually worked in practice\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to me, pre-winter break, staring at my laptop, probably with too much Yerba Mate in my system, I decided to send a cold email to KDI. Somehow, that one leap of faith connected me to KDI team members across the Kenya and Sweden offices\u2014and eventually landed me an internship that would bring me across the globe this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 1.<\/b> My 1st week at KDI Kenya Office, featuring the motor helmet my Director lent me<\/span><\/h6>\n

People & Planet in Action\u2026<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve always been drawn to that sweet spot where <\/span>People and Planet <\/b>intersect\u2014questions of cognitive justice, regenerative design, sustainable futures. My time at KDI gave me the chance to lean into this curiosity in tangible ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer, I dove into one of KDI\u2019s ongoing projects: <\/span>ASILI Futures<\/b> (Adaptation Solutions, Inclusive Locally-led Infrastructures), a research project based in Embu, Kenya, co-led with the African Centre for Cities (University of Cape Town), African Urban Futures, Utrecht University, and, most importantly, the residents themselves. At its heart, ASILI Futures is about futuring and storytelling\u2014gathering histories, present-day realities, and future imaginings from communities in Embu, including folks from the informal settlement of Dallas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I traveled with the team to Embu several times\u2014sitting in on conversations under tin roofs, joining transect walks through neighborhoods, and helping prepare for a futuring workshop with community members. My role spanned multiple layers, including <\/span>co-conducting interviews, curating a card deck that captured community<\/b> reflections, and drafting methodology notes<\/b> to document the processes\u2014essentially creating a guidebook that other organizations across Africa could adapt when designing futures-oriented, community-driven projects. It was equal parts humbling and energizing to listen deeply to stories of the past and present while holding space for dreams of what might be possible in Embu.<\/span><\/p>\n

That same spirit of linking design, data, and community showed up again through KDI\u2019s partnership with <\/span>UrbanBetter Cityzens<\/span><\/a> Nairobi, a youth-led African collective focused on climate and health. Earlier this month, I joined their Clean Air 10K run\u2014jogging through the city amongst Cityzen leaders with air quality sensors strapped on, who were using the Cityzens app to track air quality in real time. It was more than a workout; it was community-driven data collection feeding into advocacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across both Embu and Nairobi, I saw what it looks like when communities take the lead in shaping their futures\u2014and how design and research can help amplify their voices. That lesson is one I\u2019ll carry forward.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 2.<\/b> Slow Pace, Slow Living and Slow chats w\/ Mama Brayo<\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 3.<\/b> Group picture of the KDI team and ASILI Citizen Futurists on our most recent visit to Embu<\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 4.<\/b> Group picture from the <\/span>UrbanBetter Cityzens<\/span><\/a> Clean Air 10K run\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

<\/h4>\n

Looking Ahead\u2026<\/b><\/h3>\n

I won\u2019t lie, graduating in May felt like a whirlwind. Between sending out 20+ applications and trying to divert the constant \u201cwhat\u2019s next?\u201d question, I was searching for an intentional way to follow my curiosity without getting lost in the chaos. The Hive\u2019s summer grant gave me that chance\u2014it made it possible to take a leap toward Nairobi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being here has shifted me in ways I didn\u2019t expect. I\u2019ve stretched into new communities, languages, and ways of thinking about urban futures. I\u2019ve learned the power of slowing down and really listening. I\u2019ve felt the responsibility and the joy of being welcomed into spaces that aren\u2019t my own.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the journey\u2019s still unfolding. This fall, I\u2019ll be joining UN-Habitat in Nairobi, continuing to learn and contribute to advancing participatory, community-rooted approaches to sustainable urban development within a multilateral sector. Looking further ahead, I\u2019m hoping to pursue a Master\u2019s in Urban and City Planning in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through it all, what stays with me most is gratitude. Gratitude for The Hive\u2019s support, for the communities in Embu who trusted me with their stories, for every boda ride and mandazi-filled smile that reminded me that life after Pomona doesn\u2019t have to shrink\u2014it can expand. Nairobi has stretched my lungs, my heart, and my imagination. I\u2019m ready to keep breathing into whatever comes next.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 5.<\/b> A moment of pure joy, my friend Angie captured me at a creative event we attended in Nairobi\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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