Second and third-year students swapped the classroom for a community immersion in Alcantarilha to develop projects focused on territory and sustainability.
From October 2 to 4, second and third-year students from ISMAT's Bachelor's degree in Design participated in a three-day bootcamp at ANIMAME in Alcantarilha, in the municipality of Silves.
The initiative integrated work developed in the fields of Circular Design and Regenerative Design, bringing students closer to a real-world intervention context and the challenges associated with the relationship between design, territory, community, and sustainability.
Over the weekend, students exchanged the traditional classroom for an immersive experience in nature. The program included moments of observation and reflection, community garden activities, collective meal preparation, and various group dynamics.
Community living played a central role in the experience, fostering collaboration between students from different academic years and building a closer connection to the local environment.
The bootcamp was developed in collaboration with Mariana Moura Santos, founder of ANIMAME Algarve, a project dedicated to the regeneration of land, people, and culture.
Direct contact with ANIMAME allowed students to understand the project within its local context, learn about its practices, and identify challenges and opportunities that will serve as the foundation for their work throughout the semester.
The initiative marks the first stage of an integrated project in Circular Design and Regenerative Design, where students will be challenged to develop proposals based on ANIMAME's specific needs, resources, and features.
The goal is to explore the role of design beyond object creation, treating systems, resources, human relationships, community, and territory as interdependent elements in a transformative process.
The joint participation of second and third-year students also strengthened the cross-cutting nature of the project.
By sharing responsibilities, activities, and working sessions, students had the opportunity to engage in peer-to-peer learning and combine different skills and perspectives within the Design degree itself.
The bootcamp was mentored by professors David Palma, Américo Mateus, and Víctor Mascarenhas, who provided pedagogical guidance and supported the students throughout the experience.
This initial immersion marks the beginning of a process that will continue to unfold during the semester.
In January, students will return to ANIMAME to build and implement their developed proposals, concluding a journey that starts with observation and direct experience of the territory and leads to practical design solutions.
