Dreamcatcher's Project
How can design support recycling workers in transforming discarded materials and reclaiming narratives of dignity, income, and self-expression?
My role
Facilitator
UX / UI Designer
Strategic Communications
Social Media Manager
Scope
Dreamcatcher’s Project (Catadores de Sonhos) was a collaborative social design initiative focused on improving the economic well-being of recycling workers from Asmare, a cooperative of informal recyclers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Through participatory workshops, digital design, and strategic communications, the project helped these workers develop new income sources by creatively reusing materials like tarp, glass, and wood, while also building their confidence and community visibility.
As my first real-world design project, it taught me important lessons about what social design can achieve and its challenges. I facilitated co-creation workshops and developed digital tools and communications to support Asmare members in turning discarded materials into products and sustainable income.
Highlights
- Facilitated design workshops with recycling workers to develop new products using discarded tarp, glass, and wood
- Helped reactivate Asmare’s unused carpentry space through collaborative prototyping sessions
- Managed communications, including social media content and internal materials (flyers, brochures, posters)
- Redesigned and implemented websites for both Asmare and the Catadores de Sonhos project
- Initiated donor outreach and fundraising efforts to ensure participant compensation
Activities
I led weekly workshops at the cooperative, introducing basic drawing and prototyping techniques to empower associates in developing product ideas. Early challenges taught me the importance of building trust over time; a drop in participation revealed that workshop hours conflicted with participants’ income needs. In response, I engaged in open conversations with the associates and sought funding to fairly compensate their time. While formal funding was slow to materialize, emergency support from my advisor enabled the project to continue respectfully.
Strategic Communications
Beyond facilitation, I managed the project’s social media channels and created communication materials to keep stakeholders informed and engaged, while redesigning and maintaining websites for both Asmare and the project.
