What a month in Kathmandu taught us about co-designed capacity building
Co-designing the work
The Kathmandu Field Lab began without a fixed conference agenda. Participants shaped the questions, formed working groups and decided what to make together, allowing scientists, practitioners, journalists, designers and artists to contribute on equal footing.
What made the format work
A month created enough time for trust, iteration and concrete output. Participants could move from an idea to a map, analysis, story or prototype while learning directly from people outside their usual discipline. Eighty percent later reported a positive career impact, and ninety percent made tangible project progress.
What we would carry forward
The strongest lesson was to design for useful work rather than passive attendance: keep the programme flexible, make collaboration visible and give teams enough uninterrupted time to finish something. Future labs can strengthen that model with clearer onboarding and more structured support for work that continues after the event.