Designing Sustainable Futures

solving for climate, communities and the human collective

Nov 01 - 02, 2025

A 2-day workshop on applying creativity, futures and design to sustainability issues

Program Date: Nov 01 and Nov 02, 2025 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM


Venue: Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design, 100 McCaul St, Toronto, ON M5T 1G1,


Registration Deadline: Oct 25, 2025 by 11:59pm, or the maximum capacity is reached

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work and create.

Program Structure

The entire workshop is delivered using Experiential Learning Pedagogy, which means as participants you will be engaging in hands-on activities rather than learning only theories. Get a chance to specifically work on your respective project ideas (if any) or pick a problem statement under the context of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  • 9 - 9.30 am Breakfast and Registration

    9.30 - 10 am Introductions to the Human centered design concept and setting the culture

    10 - noon Problem identification using human centered design approach

    12- 1 pm Lunch

    1 - 2 pm Primary market research using Empathy

    2 - 3 pm Secondary market research

    3 - 4 pm Defining the Entrepreneurial Opportunity in response to your chosen “World Problem”

  • 9 - 9.30 am Breakfast and Recap from Day 1

    9.30 - 10 am Creativity and Innovation

    10 - noon Analogous Thinking Design Sprints

    12- 1 pm Lunch

    1 - 2 pm Idea Selection

    2 - 3.30 pm Preparing Final Presentation and Learn the Art of Pitching your idea

    3.30 - 4.30 pm Final Pitches

    4.30 - 5.30 pm Awards, Feedback and Post Program Keeping in touch planning

But, wait - What are the

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals i.e. UN SDGS?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Who Is This For

Undergraduate and graduate Students of all of OCAD U’s faculties (Art, Design, Arts & Sciences, and the Graduate Faculty) and the OCAD U community at large, including faculty, staff and alumni looking to gain some hands-on skills on Designing for Climate Change.

Students from nearby colleges and universities can also apply to join the workshop. Preference will be given to OCAD U students.

Top skills you acquire

  • Complex Problem Understanding and Breakdown

  • Cause and Effect Analysis

  • Idea to Prototyping

  • Stakeholder Mapping and Market Research

  • Human Centered Design

  • Creative Problem Solving

Check out this cool video on Design Thinking

Role of Young People in making a Global impact

Flaunt your skills with a Digital Certificate on LinkedIn

Upon completing our program, Ycenter will provide participants with a verified certificate that can be showcased as a LinkedIn badge, highlighting your achievement and new skills. This badge not only enhances your professional profile but also signals to potential employers that you've gained valuable, hands-on experience in innovation, sustainability, design thinking and entrepreneurship.

Meet the OCAD Host Partners and Experts

  • Lesley-Ann Noel

    Dean of Design at OCAD University

    Lesley-Ann Noel, author of Design Social Change, is a designer, researcher, and educator whose work centers equity, social justice, and inclusive design. She foregrounds the voices of those often excluded from traditional design and research processes, with a focus on social innovation, education, and public health. Her scholarship challenges dominant narratives by amplifying designers outside Europe and North America and integrating critical theory into design thinking. Lesley-Ann holds degrees in Industrial Design (UFPR, Brazil), an MBA (University of the West Indies), and a PhD in Design (North Carolina State University). She is Dean of Design at OCAD University (as of August 2024), and has taught at North Carolina State, Tulane, Stanford, and UWI. An active member of the Design Research Society and co-editor of The Black Experience in Design, she was awarded honorary doctorates by UAL (2023) and PNCA (2021) for her contributions to the field.

  • Jana Macalik

    Director of the Global Center for Climate Action

    Jana Macalik is a designer, educator, and academic leader with over 25 years of experience shaping built and cultural environments. She holds a graduate degree in Architecture from Dalhousie University and is completing a doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Toronto’s OISE, focusing on studio-based art and design schools. Jana has held several leadership roles at OCAD University, including Associate Dean of the Faculty of Design and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Art. From 2023 to 2025, she served as Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic & Research) and then Interim President of NSCAD University. For the academic year 2025/26, she returns to OCAD University as Director of the Global Centre for Climate Action. Her creative work explores “discursive spaces” that bridge tangible and intangible forms of expression to break down societal barriers. She is LEED ID+C accredited, NCIDQ certified, and serves on the editorial board of Curator: The Museum Journal, reflecting her commitment to creative, sustainable, and inclusive learning environments.

Meet the Facilitation Partners

  • Dhairya Pujara

    Founder, CEO at Ycenter

    Started his first company at the age of 19, Dhairya has always been about using technology for humanitarian impact. He is Biomedical Engineer and has experience of living in 3 different countries across 3 different continents.

    He has been a global public speaker with invitations from the United Nations, World Bank, World Economic Forum, Social Enterprise World Forum, SXSW, TEDx and top universities and organizations in 15+ countries across 4 continents. His work has been featured in magazines like Entrepreneur, INC, nominated for Forbes 30 under 30 and several other media publications like BBC radio, Huffington post, Philadelphia Business journal to name a few. He has received a visa reserved for individuals of extraordinary abilities from the US immigration services.

Partners for the Program

OCAD U Faculty of Design

Designers of everything from products and advertisements to buildings and apps impart their perspective in each of the designs they create, whether consciously or unconsciously. As such, designers must reflect on the potential impact of their designs. At OCAD U, emerging designers learn to design innovative and creative solutions that nurture community, harmonize technology, meet market needs and empower individuals.

The Faculty of Design also works closely with OCAD U's graduate design-based programs including Inclusive Design and Design for Health.

Global Centre for Climate Action

The Global Centre for Climate Action (GCCA) is a research centre at OCAD University that draws on creative vision, sustainable design, and artistic practice to imagine new approaches to sustainability, climate justice, and decolonization. 

Our work is committed to fostering regenerative relationships between people and land and to Indigenous knowledge on sustainability. We are committed to a decolonial, social justice framework that highlights both the origins of ecological crisis and the disproportionate impacts on Indigenous and marginalized communities.

About Ycenter

Ycenter is a Global Experiential learning and Innovation consulting firm. We build programs for university, innovation and incubation centers. We work with Fortune 500 companies and governmental agencies on using human-centered design thinking to solve complex social and business challenges. Ycenter programs have offerings have been benefited by participants and organizations in 30+ countries across last 12 years.