Care Capsules – a global design research collaboration in response to the Covid-19 pandemic

Understanding New Forms of Care 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruption, leading the Reach Network to collaborate and understand the changes in societies and new forms of care that emerged. As design researchers and anthropologists, they realised they could use their professional skills to contribute to the understanding of new care forms. They wanted to understand how people were building bottom-up resilience within their communities.

Global Collaboration on Care 

The Care Capsules project was led by The Care Lab in Barcelona, and supported by Reach members from the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Russia. They interviewed key workers during the pandemic and witnessed new understandings of care and new care roles. The team analysed 50 personal stories and experiences of COVID-19 from across the world to understand new ways of providing care to one another.

Key Insights on Care 

The project identified three types of care that should be interwoven: how individuals care for themselves, each other, and others. Crises can be both disabling and empowering, strengthening social relationships and sharpening priorities. The pandemic opened safe spaces to talk about emotions and mental health, while also bringing difficult conversations and stigmas about COVID-19. New meanings of care emerged, reframing how we think about care within our caring ecosystems. The participants found the interviews therapeutic. The Social Innovation Exchange included the Care Capsule work as a resource in their global Wayfinder project focusing on shaping social innovation in urgent times. Reach partners hosted an event in September for Wayfinder where care was discussed along with observations and insights that had emerged from the Care Capsules research. This discussion was part of nearly 100 global conversations that contributed to a collection of stories and an understanding of current themes around social innovation.