Make Your Mark
The Global Refugee Crisis
Client | QUT Assignment Brief
Scope | Physical Data Visualisation, Information Design
‘Make Your Mark’ consists of a series of five information visualisations, integrated within an educational resource and fundraising kit, that aim to inform the next generation about the severity of the global refugee crisis. Most importantly however, they function as a catalyst for social change by providing an opportunity to deliver beneficial assistance in the lives of those who need it most. Designed specifically for classroom use in Australian schools, the visualisations expose just how little the world’s most highly developed countries are doing to assist the growing number of refugees, despite being in the best position to do so, and highlight that a significant portion of these refugees are under 18 years of age; realities that are often overlooked by mainstream media. The five visualisations have been selected and specifically ordered to enable teachers to introduce the broad topic first, before uncovering additional layers of the story; the who, where, when, why and how many, with each progressive visualisation.
In order to make classroom learning both enjoyable and rewarding for students, the visualisations included within the Make Your Mark kit have been intentionally designed to create an interactive, practical learning environment that consists of four key steps;
1. Learn
Teachers utilise visualisations 1-4, which are PDF resources intended for viewing via a data projector using Adobe Acrobat, to educate students about the extent of the crisis. These resources align with modern digital teaching methods and also allows for significant teaching flexibility, as the graphics can be magnified as needed to explore the data. Visualisations 1, 3 and 4, being more complex, have also been made interactive so that certain data can be highlighted or hidden as required to aid the learning process and help the students better uncover the story each visualisation conveys.
The Visualisations:
2. Create
Using the instructions and materials provided in the kit, teachers guide the students to create their own data-driven, woven bookmarks that reveal the percentage of different aged refugees within some of the world’s major host countries. This allows them to connect with the data on a personal level while also teaching them basic weaving and sewing skills. Their knowledge is further enhanced as they weave, with each spool
of thread providing additional facts regarding the refugee crisis.
The Bookmarks:
Included in the Kit:
3. Impact
The bookmarks are designed to be sold as a fundraiser that enable the students to share their learning with others. In addition to the bookmark itself, those purchasing the creations also receive a brochure that provides contextual information about the topic and a printed version of the fourth visualisation (refugee movement).
4. Give
All money raised supports the UNHCR to help educate disadvantaged refugee children, allowing the students to make a positive contribution towards addressing the crisis.
