Migrating for a Better Life: Rethinking Social Service Design From a People Centered Perspective

Abstract

The seasonal labor system has struggled for decades to respond to the challenges of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs). This pilot project aims to propose a new perspective in rethinking social service design by focusing on the values and meanings of service experience from a MSFWs’ point of view. A site-based interview was conducted at more than35 farms in rural areas of Indiana over the summer of 2014. This presentation discusses the results from the pilot study: 1. Four different types of population within MSFWs, 2. Challenge models of each population, and 3. Community assets as potential touchpoints for social service design.