Creating a safe and empowering space for individuals who have recently experienced a major lifestyle change. Our target participants were return missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
We aimed to address the challenge faced by young adults returning from LDS missions who struggle to adjust to regular life. During their missions, they experienced a profound sense of purpose daily. However, upon returning home, many find it difficult to integrate the lessons learned on their missions into their everyday lives. This disconnect between their missionary identity and their current reality often leads to a tough adjustment period. Our goal was to help these recently returned missionaries rediscover a sense of purpose in their post-mission lives, ensuring they can apply their valuable experiences in meaningful ways.
After collecting data from recently returned missionaries on what their needs are, we brainstormed and ideated 50+ ideas to use in solving the problem mentioned above. We validated a few of the ideas and determined that a workshop-style class would be the most feasible. Our prototype of the class took time to plan and execute, but we held 6 total workshops with 6-9 participants over a month. Some group members took notes on non-verbal feedback and we had a survey for participants to provide feedback on. Each session held new iterations based on the feedback - we learned to adjust quickly and efficiently.
Utilizing the design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) enabled me to attack projects with efficiency and adaptability. Design thinking is iterative, not linear, and it took lots of quick problem-solving and creative confidence to execute this project.