Laboratory for Applied Creativity
When you get older, you (will) face some challenges in your life. While some have to deal with health issues, the majority is fit and able. In fact, people in developed countries are expected to live beyond their 90ies now. And the share of people aged 65+ is expected to grow by 150–250% in the next 20 years in those countries. Unfortunately, many grandmas and grandpas are isolated from society around age 60 and thus have little social contact to younger people and spend bored afternoons in front of TVs. That I find is not such a fun activity for people who have gathered extensive experience, learned many skills and lived through inspirational moments.
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
That’s what led me thinking into finding a way to re-integrate the elderly into society. To do so, the concept is based on a few principles and insights:
A good civilization is one that engages its entire population in valuable activities.
- Elderly care less about financial rewards and more for social rewards like a feeling of community and belonging when donating their time and energy.
- With more people living in city apartments, few have the luxury of a workshop to tinker and fiddle and therefore quit creative activities altogether.
- The global do-it-yourself movement is strong among people aged 50+, and also parents value analog activities for their digital native children.
- The best way to learn something and to get inspired for an activity is through a personal tutor. Also, an engaging atmosphere and the regularity of the activity are important factors for success.
The Laboratory for Applied Creativity
The Laboratory for Applied Creativity (L.A.C.) is a space that brings together creative people of all ages. It is organized into several booths, each dedicated to a specific topic. Each booth has a host as well as coaches, who guide the learning process. In the various booths one can work on projects, socialize and learn new skills.
The structure of the L.A.C. is comparable to an interactive trade fair. Booths are sponsored by local and multinational companies, thus showcasing an intensive brand experience. There is a culinary booth where one can learn about grannies recipes, an intellectual booth for reading, writing and debating literature, a technology booth for coding and various others. Depending on the community’s skills and interests, booths dedicated to art and photography or fashion (knitting) are opened. A booth can host around 10–20 people at a time.
Hosts and Coaches
Each booth has an employed host who takes care of the organization and equipment of the booth. For the instructional guiding, (s)he is assisted by several coaches. A coach is an elderly person with passion and experience in the given field. Moreover, local university students can attend and tutor people. Coaches are engaged on a part-time basis and usually spend one or two days a week at the L.A.C.
Equipment and Sponsorship
Depending on the activity, booths require certain equipment. This equipment will be partly funded by the L.A.C. and partly by corporate and governmental sponsorships. Since nothing is more convincing and inspiring than a personal brand experience, the L.A.C. offers attractive opportunities for companies.
Target Audience
The L.A.C. targets a variety of people with a common interest and passion for creating something. Elderly people can on the one hand be engaged as hosts/coaches but also targeted as attendants. By partnering with nearby old people’s homes (OPH), a win-win situation can be established because the L.A.C. offers activities and the OPH is at the center of the target group. Apart from the elderly, young people are targeted. Cooperations with schools that lack workshops, equipment or skilled teachers allow children to connect socially across generations as well as play and experiment under proper guidance.
The L.A.C. also offers people who want to host do-it-yourself courses but lack the place or equipment to do so an opportunity to realize their dream. Many such social activities are organized on platforms like MeetUp, which is why a partnership with MeetUp will be mutually beneficial as in most cases there is the need of a physical meeting place too.
Additionally it should be noted that the L.A.C. operates under an open-house policy, meaning that everybody can go there at all times during the day. This makes the lab a meeting place for creative people and ideas.
Marketing
The marketing plan consists of an online and an offline strategy. The online strategy consists of a blog where videos and descriptions of activities, works and the faces behind the works are published. The offline strategy evolves around the L.A.C. logoprint which is put on every piece made at the lab.
Competition
In recent years many FabLabs have opened their doors across the world. Fab(rication)Lab(oratorie)s offer high-end manufacturing tools like 3D-printers, lasercutters or CNC lathes. As such FabLabs target a more tech-savvy and nerdy audience, while the L.A.C. is for everyday people.
Financial Analysis
Capital expenditures include some refurbishment of the place as well as basic equipment for the booths. Operational expenditures include the rent for the place, salaries for the hosts and a compensation for the coaches, materials for the activities and some marketing expenditures.
For place with five booths, initial CAPEX are estimated to amount to €100.000 and OPEX to €50.000 per month. With sponsorships and an average of 150 paying attendants per day (€12/day), the L.A.C. breaks even within the first year of operation (the first six months are spent developing the place) and starts generating profits from the second year. These will be reinvested into expanding the L.A.C. with new booths and new partnerships with companies, offering a wider range of activities. In the longer term, a fund will be established along with a toolkit to realize L.A.C.s in different places on different continents.
In conclusion, the Laboratory for Applied Creativity celebrates passion and human ingenuity across generations. It is a social place for elderly to stay connected to society and to engage in some creative tinkering. The sharing of skills and stories is facilitated through coaches and financed by daily entrance fees and sponsorships. The result is a system that can be implemented in many countries that want to offer their community a creative center.
