International Design Workshop “Apart — Together” Held at Hongik University with UNDP
The International Design School for Advanced Studies (IDAS), Hongik University, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted the international design workshop “Apart — Together” on November 13 and 14, 2025, at Yemungwan Hall. Under the theme “Design Between the Individual and the Collective,” the two-day program examined how individual action can drive collective change.
The workshop was led by two facilitators. Enrique Martinez is a Design, Innovation and Strategy Advisor and a faculty member of the Federal Executive Institute, part of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Soren Vester Haldrup is a Policy Advisor at the UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance, with a focus on applying design thinking to complex public-sector systems.
On the first day, participants mapped their personal histories onto a timeline. They then set these against major global and national events of the same period, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting on how larger shifts had shaped their own lives. The program also introduced how UNDP applies design in its work. Through short lectures, discussions, and hands-on making activities, participants considered the kind of designer and agent of change they aspire to be, both as individuals and as members of a wider community.
At the conclusion of the program, each participant pitched an original idea. These proposals were brought together in a Collective Impact Map, connecting individual perspectives into a shared framework for action. The workshop underscored the role of design in bridging individual agency and collective impact across public and global contexts.
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