The De-Escalators

Johnny Lee Darryl de Dios Alex Keays Helen Rusich

The Challenge

How might we design interventions that de-escalate public displays of overt racist behaviour?

The Idea

A digital resource/campaign that uses illustration and the power of story to not only describe what overt racism looks, sounds, and feels like in Edmonton, but that also (and primarily) serves as a place one can go to in order to learn how to react when witnessing an act of overt racism in a public place, such as a train station or on a bus.

Tried and True

Testing will include: 1) presenting the stories/illustrations to target users, including youth; 2) getting feedback from stakeholders on content/approach; 3) promoting the landing page and Instagram account on social media, and through stakeholder websites.

What We’ve Learned

We hope to gain insight into: 1) whether or not this design is effective (does it actually teach people and help them feel more confident to act when witnessing an overt act of racism?); 2) is there interest in this format; 3) whether this format (a digital resource) is accessible to people when they need it.

Next Steps

Post-test activities will involve development and implementation of a business model/plan for this initiative.

Screenshots from the field prototype testing video

Left & Right: Excerpts from the De-Escalators Handbook