How might we help young men stay out of prison after serving time? During a seven-week research project, we found that a key reason that nearly two-thirds of them reoffend is that they lack key developmental opportunities.
Author Archive for cbear
Giving students a space to catalyze confidence
How might a new makerspace at a community college boost students’ confidence in their futures? Through a variety of activities and live prototypes, we learned it needs to help students discover their interests and apply them to their real lives.
Exploring ethnicity through auto-ethnography
Ethnicity is deeply meaningful to people. It’s also a complicated source of tension around the world. That’s why San Francisco State University requires journalism students to learn about ethnicity in Journalism 610: Cultural Diversity and the U.S. News Media. As the course instructor, I wanted to make the subject personal for my students.
Prototyping remote research methods for IDEO.org
It is possible to do insightful, human-centered design research from thousands of miles away. That’s what a teammate and I found when IDEO.org asked us to develop remote research prototypes for the Amplify program.
Redesigning a KQED institution for younger audiences
In 2015, The California Report turned 20 years old, but its audience is nearly twice that age. The staff had a lot of ‘a-ha moments’ about why that might be, when I initiated a human-centered effort to help the show reach younger audiences.
Creating a passenger ferry terminal for Port Orchard
Designing structures on the water affords endless options for inspiration. I couldn’t help but draw on the natural environment when I led the schematic design of Port Orchard’s Intermodal Ferry Terminal for Krei Architecture.
Interweaving new buildings at a historic state park
As an architect, I had a rare opportunity to contribute new building designs to a 1930s-era state park in Washington State.
Getting underrepresented teens on air
At Ballou High School in S.E. Washington, DC, teaching students about radio journalism is no easy feat.
It’s not because the school is surrounded by police cars every morning and everyone goes through metal detectors to enter the building. Or that less than 20 percent of students score ‘proficient’ on state reading and math tests.
The real hurdles when I embedded there as part of the Prime Movers Media Program were the school’s lack of radio equipment and a rule preventing students from leaving the room during class time. Since problems are just opportunities in disguise, though, it didn’t stop us from creating pieces so good a few aired nationally on NPR!
Affordable housing comes to San Jose
Rent in Silicon Valley will set you back more than $2000, on average. So when a new affordable housing complex opened in San Jose, it was a huge relief for dozens of low-income families.
Two-ways (anchor interviews)
April 2, 2014: Federal prosecutors charge utility company PG&E with 12 felony counts. Anchor Charla Bear interviews San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Jaxon Van Derbeken, who covered the story.
February 13, 2014: California’s concealed weapons restrictions in question after federal appeals court strikes down state’s rules. Anchor Charla Bear interviews law professor Larry Rosenthal and Chuck Michel, who represents the National Rifle Association.