People for People, City for City
A “dugnad” for local businesses in Norwegian cities.
dugnad subst. m
voluntary (community) work, bee (am.), collective voluntary effort
These are strange times.
Norway, as we know it, has basically been shut down. Our nation has new heroes; nurses and grocery store workers (and many more!) are finally getting the appreciation they deserve, doing their share to help the nation’s wheels turn.
People are told to physically stay away from other people. Not just large crowds, but individuals. What happens when people are not allowed to socialise, hang out and interact like they usually do? Culture offerings bleed. Restaurants suffer. Small shops and niche establishments dry out. People working in what are now considered non-critical occupations such as physiotherapists, waiters, hotel employees and airline stewarts have basically lost their basis for existence — overnight. In just eight days, NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, received more than 170,000 unemployment benefit applications due to lay-offs, resulting in the highest unemployment rate in Norway since the Great Depression in the 30’s.
How might we help reduce the massive economic impact this crisis has brought upon our nation, and most importantly, its people?
We are Idean
We are a design agency. We believe in using design as a tool to improve society. So we use our superpowers to put humans at the center. At this point in time, user centricity — human centricity — is desperately needed. Governmental decisions that are made on an hourly basis have a tremendous effect on people’s lives and humanity in general.
With this in mind, we wanted to find a way to contribute. We wanted to help the local businesses and communities that are adapting to this new situation.
The “dugnad”
In Norway, we have a word called “dugnad” that celebrates the idea of communal service, of people coming together, helping each other out and embracing the spirit of togetherness. That’s why a team of designers in Idean Bergen decided to take matters into their own hands. Idean Bergen swiftly created BergenforBergen, and in a few days Idean Oslo and Idean Stavanger followed suit.
The People for People platform initiative had started, creating a digitally accessible place for our local “dugnad” in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger.
Here, you find local vendors that can showcase their service and product offerings, adapted for our new reality. Bergen currently has about 73 local vendors in their list, Oslo is at 25, Stavanger has 17, and they’re all growing.
So, what are you waiting for? Help out your local coffee corner shop, sport store, or burger joint by buying their products. Better yet, help us to help others: spread the word about this initiative.
These times are truly strange. And strange times bring out some good stuff in people. Embrace it.
