Envisioning the future spaces for youth care

Client: Amarant, Divisie Jeugd
Year: 2024 - 2025
Location: North Brabant

​Bridging Vision and Practice

We have a vision, but how do we turn it into something people can see, understand, and act on?
​In 2024, Kornelia Dimitrova designed and led a strategic design process for the Youth Department of Amarant, a care organization for children and young people with disabilities. The division’s transition team had spent over two years shaping a long-term vision. What was needed next was a way to translate that vision into shared understanding, concrete steps, and broad internal support.

Co-creation as a vehicle for transformation

Dimitrova facilitated a series of co-creative sessions with care professionals, managers, and transition leads. Together, they explored future scenarios and translated them into visual tools, making abstract ideas tangible and open to discussion. The sessions uncovered critical questions and working assumptions about the future, helping teams reflect on what the vision would mean for their daily work, spaces, and roles. This collaborative process strengthened strategic alignment and gave people at all levels a sense of ownership.

Making the future tangible

The visualizations that emerged from the process served as practical tools for dialogue and decision-making. They clarified what the envisioned future could look like, both culturally and operationally, and offered a shared reference point for planning and implementation. In a complex care context with many stakeholders and limited resources, this design-led process helped create the clarity, engagement, and structure needed to move forward with confidence.

Designing for moments that matter

When we treat spaces in youth care as moments of connection, rather than just function, they become something more. A welcoming entrance, a cosy intake room, or an inclusive and green outdoor space can offer comfort, dignity, and the sense of belonging. These everyday environments hold the potential to support collaboration, reflection, and trust. They remind everyone involved that care doesn’t just happen in sessions—it lives in how we meet, relate, and carry on.

Six scenes, developed and visualised in collaboration with the transition team of Amarant Divisie Jeugd, 2024.