Creative session at Syntrus Achmea

The dreamer recieving her dream

LSDP in request by Syntrus Achmea in Amsterdam organized the workshop under the title "Desycle your Dream'. The goal of the workshop was to remind the group how to find within their 'working teams' for the means to constantly improve their services to their clients.

Dream factories 'desycling' dreams

By implementing the creative process of the 'desycling strategy' the group was set into a different context from the daily working one. In this context they had to answer the question 'what is my retirement dream'. The teams became dream factories that had to satisfy the 'dreamers wishes' by designing and producing a desycled product that would represent these wishes.

During the exercise new questions were raised and the participants had to undertake different roles from the ones they have in their working environment. This experience allowed the group to reflect on the importance of finding and owning their role within team work.


For LSDP working with this large and heterogeneous group was very interesting. The differences in the group were not only cultural but also the participants attitude towards their job differed a lot from each other. During the whole process of the workshop we perceived that a lot more work on the communication/participation aspect of the group are needed to bust these team's enthusiasm to work together to deliver a better service to their clients.

Dreamers recieveing the products which represent their dreams

The creative process triggered the participants insight about their role in the company and towards their clients. One important aspect ‘humor’ and the ability to laugh at stressful situations helps to mitigate the unpleasant moments within the working environment.
At the end of the day we did see some sparkling eyes and heard some intense laughter throughout the activity which we expect the group will take further to their working environment.

Desycling De Regenboog Groep project

The Latin Sisters Design Productions (LSDP) are working on the setup of a desycling workshop and creating a new product design line in drop-in-centre Makom for De Regenboog Groep (DRG), an organization for homeless people and hard drug users. De Regenboog Groep welcomes them in drop-in centers and user rooms. To learn more about them look on their website: http://www.deregenboog.org/


Desycling is a concept developed by LSDP. In this strategy design, recycling and participation come together. The goal is to involve people, companies and public organizations in social and environmental theme’s and to stimulate to act and become aware. The desycle concept stimulates people’s creativity and encourages them to look different to garbage.

The pilot project
The pilot project is about setting up a desycling workshop. In this workshop Hi5-ers are producing design products. LSDP designs two products for the workshop. These products are made from garbage material, which are collected in the neighborhood from residents, companies and shops. The products made in the workshop will be sold in different shops in Amsterdam.

Hi5-ers
The desycling workshop is an activation projects for Hi5-ers. Hi5-ers are people who receive welfare and have lived for more than two years in Amsterdam. This pilot project is such a Hi5-project. The project offers the Hi5-ers to work with environmental issues and design.
A very important theme is the capabilities and motivations of the Hi5-ers. The production level and techniques are adjusted to their capabilities. Hi5-ers are a very wide group of different kind of people. Therefore research is done about this group of people.

Garbage materials & neighborhood participation
The garbage materials are collected by people who ride the ‘bakfiets’ in the neighborhood of Makom, the drop-in-center where the workshop is established. Residents of Oud-Zuid, organizations, shops and companies are asked to participate and collect some of their garbage. The type of materials that is used depends on the designed products, the availability and quantity of the supplied materials and its environmental aspects. The garbage of store chains, small shops and market stalls is explored.

To see the development and the results of the project check http://www.desyclingderegenboog.blogspot.com/