We do

We have been involved in the Activ.mob programme for the past 2 years, working with the RED team at the Design Council to develop the approach, supporting its implementation in Kent Council, and now leading work to seek investment and take the programme to scale from within The Innovation Unit. Gene is Director - Activ.mob at The Innovation Unit.

In response to the systemic issues outlined in the RED paper on health, the RED team undertook to design, with users, a different kind of health service with the potential to improve well-being on a large scale. Activ.mob was co-designed and prototyped during 2004 with a community living on the Park Wood estate in Kent. The work was undertaken in partnership with colleagues at Kent County Council, who were keen to find new ways to promote more active lifestyles.

Activ.mob creates and builds social networks, which have been shown to be good for health and well-being. Activ.mobs are small groups of people (2-10) in a community/local area who carry out physical activity together on a regular basis for a sustained period. They choose their own activity, something which fits with their everyday lives, and are supported to continue with that activity through local Activ.mobs Trainers and Activ.mobs Motivators and a national website which draws on the emergence of social software to connect people through their interests and significantly, provides a charting and rewards system which enables goals to be self-set and rewards self-selected.

Find out more about Activ.mob in Kent.
Find out more about the work of RED at the Design Council from 2004-2006