Finding Hope - Understanding migration and displacement
by Sabrina Tinoco
The Problem
Migration and displacement has become an issue of global concern, and as it grows so does the misinformation regarding the migrant and refugee population and the negative perception of this population in the U.S.
Research Question
How can children be introduced to migration and displacement and educated on the topic in a way that helps change the current negative perception of migrants and displaced populations?
Success Statement
Through simple explanations and a series of personal stories and engaging questions, Finding Hope introduces children to the subject of migration and displacement, and helps them empathize with the migrant and refugee community to promote tolerance and create a better understanding of this community.
Target Audience
Children ages 10-12.
Research
As I started my research one of the first things I did was to conduct a survey to figure out how big of a problem this really was and what people though about it. Next, I set about trying to figure out my target audience by trying to narrow down the age range I wanted to focus on, and in order to do this I researched the different stages of cognitive development and spoke to parents to figure out at what age children would be able to comprehend this topic and start to form their own opinions on it.
As I dove deeper into my research and trying to figure out what the best solution would be, I looked at a variety of articles and studies focused on the effect of print and digital media and how these affect our ability to process, comprehend, and retain information, and finally settled on making a book. Once this decision was made I interviewed a number of migrants and refugees from all over the world to figure out how to best share their experiences and hardships, as well as what information and concepts were most important.
Design Process
Once I settled on my design solution I started to code my interviews and other research to figure out the content and layout of the book. After I outlined all the content and started writing and formatting the copy I was finally able to move onto figuring out the style and layout of the illustrations.
After looking at a number of books and other resources I was inspired by the illustration style of the book The Little Prince and decided to go with, simple but colorful watercolor illustrations outlined in ink. The point of this more minimalist style is to complement the text and the concepts being explained without overwhelming or distracting the reader.
Design Solution
Finding Hope is a book that introduces children (ages 10-12) to basic concepts and terms regarding migration and displaced populations, and helps them build their socio-emotional, logical and critical thinking, and problem solving skills in a way that fosters tolerance, diversity, and inclusivity.
