The concept – ViCE Pop-up Innovation Lab

The ViCE Initiative explores together with volunteers and stakeholders what it means to be a volunteer in a conflict and emergency setting. The voices of the ViCE Listening Study articulate needs and identifies the lack of resources lacking for volunteering in conflicts and emergencies.

A wealth of resources exists on volunteering and volunteering development. However, still remains gaps to be filled and greater research and dissemination will have to be undertaken by global actors to understand and provide appropriate support for volunteers.

A very pragmatic approach to addressing this need is innovation and development of new resources. Doing this increases the capacity of volunteers, volunteer-involving organizations, and their partners. Proactively investing in this is the only option the mobile ViCE Pop-Up Innovation Lab is a significant platform and resource.

The Lab focuses on addressing issues of great value for volunteers and their organizations. It is a mobile facility addressing one identified problem by bringing together a group of stakeholders. Together they explore the issue and become better exposed to all aspects of the identified development challenge. Through collaboration, a variety of unique knowledge and experiences of the creativity flows amongst the participants, ideas take shape and concepts form and transform into actual approaches, models, and prototypes.

The stakeholders together with the ViCE Initiative tests and documents the outcomes of the Lab in a context such as a volunteer group or volunteer-involving organization.

The lab has three facilitated phases:

Phase one: exploring the issue to establish a thorough understanding and an agreement on what to address.

Phase two: capturing ideas and transforming thoughts into concepts and models. Developing prototypes and pitching it to the volunteers and volunteer-involving organizations.

Phase three: exploring the feasibility of the proposed models and solutions, prioritizing, and identifying possible implementation mechanisms and agreeing on the next steps.