Enhancing Children's Engagement and Participation in a Volunteer Support Center
Context:
The children's support center aims to increase engagement and participation in its activities. Many children show low interest or motivation, and attendance rates fluctuate. Additionally, the center seeks to attract new children to benefit from its programs. A clear strategy is needed to improve the overall experience, making activities more engaging while also raising awareness about the center.
Objective:
To design a service strategy that enhances children's engagement, improves the quality of activities, and increases the number of participants by creating a more inviting and interactive environment.
Project Phases:
Research & Discovery
Interviews and Observations: Conducted discussions with children, parents, and volunteers to understand current challenges and interests.
Journey Mapping: Mapped the children's experience from arrival to participation to identify key drop-off points and barriers.
Benchmarking: Researched successful engagement strategies in similar programs to identify best practices.
Children’s Journey Map: From Arrival to Participation
Next Steps: Solutions to Address Drop-offs
Enhance Outreach: Collaborate with schools, social workers, and community programs.
Structured Welcoming Process: Assign buddies or mentors to help new children adapt.
Diverse & Personalized Activities: Offer flexible activity choices based on children's interests.
Social Integration Strategies: Implement team-based activities to foster friendships.
Gamification & Rewards: Use points, badges, or small rewards to encourage engagement.
Service Blueprint
Prototyping & Testing
Piloted new activities designed based on children's interests, integrating interactive and digital tools.
Tested engagement incentives such as achievement badges, peer-led sessions, and storytelling methods.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Gathered feedback through observation, surveys, and participation tracking.
Outcomes
✅ Higher engagement: Children actively participate and look forward to activities.
✅ Increased retention: More children return to the center regularly.
✅ Expanded reach: New children join through targeted outreach efforts.
✅ Improved experience: Activities align with children's interests and needs.
Problem Definition
Identified key challenges, such as lack of personalized activities, limited awareness of the center, and absence of a structured engagement plan.
Ideation & Strategy Development
Conducted Design Thinking workshops with staff, volunteers, and children to co-create engagement solutions.
Explored gamification, reward systems, and personalized activity selection to increase motivation.
Developed an outreach strategy to attract new children (e.g., community events, school partnerships, social media).
Implementation & Monitoring
Launched the engagement strategy with improved activity planning and outreach initiatives.
Provided training for volunteers to enhance facilitation skills and adapt activities based on feedback.
Measured impact through attendance rates, activity engagement levels, and participant feedback.
