Presenting a new PEOPLE video! There was so much that we all have learned in the PEOPLE project’s 1st Learning Cycle: four teams of social sciences and humanities students were applying and testing people-centred development approaches to real-life industry challenges in energy efficiency and sustainable living. How can anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists use the methodology, their skills and knowledge in product and service development teams? How can they, in cooperation with engineers or designers, contribute to developing people- and environment-friendly solutions?

The PEOPLE team, academic and industry mentors, who were supporting the student teams took part in testing how this innovative approach to teaching and learning that we call Learning Cycles might be incorporated in study curricula to support the development of relevant skills – such as interdisciplinary research, teamwork, or work in industry and business environments. They evaluated this form of University-Industry Cooperation, which fosters and supports both the problem-based learning process, as well as the potential for employment of social science graduates outside of academia – in energy and sustainability industries.

As the first batch of PEOPLE students completed the 1st Learning Cycle, working on four different case studies in Slovenia, UK, the Netherlands, and Czech Republic, they met in Amsterdam, along with the PEOPLE partners, academic and industry mentors, for the first PEOPLE Co-Creation Camp – an intensive two-day event aimed at sharing their experiences and enhancing their knowledge of people-centred development approaches. Our special guest at the event was a design anthropologist and psychologist Anna Kirah.

As the PEOPLE team are diving into the 2nd Learning Cycle with new student teams and exciting new case studies, take a look at this short video filmed during the Co-Creation Camp and edited by Tilen Šoštarič, member of the 1st Slovenian PEOPLE student team.