Building capabilities
Change starts with supporting people to learn and lead. At the heart of Design for Life is the commitment to build the skills, connections and confidence people need to fulfil their potential.
Design for Life
Design for Life Our mission
Economic, social and environmental crises have placed our world in a fragile, unbalanced and degenerative state.
Our mission is to enable people, places and the planet to flourish in harmony.
Our vision is for a world where everyone can fulfil their potential and contribute to more resilient, rebalanced and regenerative futures.
How are we achieving this?
We believe everyone has the potential and creativity to effect change.
We work with people throughout their lives, and across society, to achieve regenerative impact; from children and young people to entrepreneurs, businesses and communities.
Our approach to change involves many different disciplines and perspectives.
Our work focuses on three areas. These are:
Growing hubs
People effect change by coming together. Design for Life grows the connections that organisations, communities, industries and regions need in order to flourish.
Developing infrastructure
We are aiming for systemic, long-term change. Design for Life develops and influences the conditions needed to enable people, communities and organisations to regenerate our world.
Discover more about Design for Life in this series of introductory blogs
Why us?
We are unique. We don’t just generate ideas; we act on them. The RSA has been turning world-leading ideas into world-changing actions for more than 260 years. Our research and innovation has changed the hearts and minds of generations of people. Central to all our work are our mission-aligned Fellows; a global network of innovators and changemakers.
Explore our Circle community to engage with our work.
Engage with our Design for Life mission
Are you a Fellow? Be part of our Circle community and help us shape a world where everyone can fulfil their potential and contribute to more resilient, rebalanced, and regenerative futures.
RSA Fellowship
The RSA Fellowship is a global network of changemakers enabling people, places and the planet to flourish in harmony. RSA Fellows have been at the forefront of significant social impact for over 260 years. We invite you to be part of this change.
Watch a Design for Life event
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Why learning to fail can teach us to thrive
Public talks
RSA House and online via YouTube
Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership at Harvard Business School and the world’s leading expert in the science of psychological safety, offers a practical guide to ‘intelligent failure’.
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Where next for business?
Public talks / Video / Online
RSA House and online via YouTube
Alan Jope, outgoing CEO of Unilever, discusses the need for a system shift in business practice to unlock potential and support a regenerative economy.
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The changing face of 21st century education and learning
Public talks / Online
RSA House and Online via YouTube
Political economist Rachel Sylvester is joined by Lord David Blunkett and Lord Kenneth Baker to explore possibilities for radical renewal in education to support equitable economic and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and wider society.
Design for Life related content
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Open RSA knowledge standards
Blog
Alessandra Tombazzi Tom Kenyon
After investigating ‘knowledge commons’, we're introducing our open RSA standards and what they mean for our practice, products and processes.
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Investment for inclusive and sustainable growth in cities
Blog
Anna Valero
Anna Valero highlights a decisive decade for addressing the UK’s longstanding productivity problems, large and persistent inequalities across and within regions, and delivering on net zero commitments.
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Cities of Learning: seeding lifelong learning infrastructure in UK places
Blog
Tom Kenyon Jahnvi Singh
How we've been reimagining and redesigning The Cities of Learning intervention and network.