Imagine exploring how to reclaim your dreams of designing for good while contributing to a social impact project.
Join the Responsible Design for Change Fellowship as an Individual Contributor to explore in a safe space.
This Fellowship is for you if you want to:
Unlearn
Unlearn how you have been practising design and research. Something deep inside you tells you there’s got to be a better way.
Self-Explore
Self-explore broading your career inspirations without the constraints of capitalism to consolidate what is calling you deep in your heart.
TRANSFORM
Transform into a responsible design practitioner by applying the principles of regeneration, reciprocity and respect to your work.
connect
Connect with a network of people who understand your curiosity for applying responsible practices throughout your life, in your pursuit of becoming a good ancestor.
Next cohort is from late August to late November
What is the Responsible Design for Change Fellowship?
It’s an unlearning and learning experience like no other, created to provide you with a safe space to explore how to transform your design, research and leadership practices. It is also an invitation to be part of a community interested in figuring out how we create a world that takes into account the complexity of the systems we design within, the redistribution of power, and how we can shift our practices to take into account the next seven generations in our decision making.
“Hello! I’m so glad you’re here, taking the time to explore the Fellowship.
The seed for this Fellowship was planted back in 2018, when I recognised the need to create spaces for people from diverse backgrounds, who draw strength from their lived experiences as they aspire to grow into leadership roles. At the time, though, I knew I wasn’t quite ready; I didn’t have the time nor the experience to match my ambition to create such a transformative programme.
After a decade leading UX for Change, as well as teams across the tech industry, my passion for nurturing future leaders has been reignited and deepened. Much has changed since I first envisioned this concept, most notably the growing role of Generative AI as the foundation for so many future products. Sitting with that shift, and recognising that careless product design had already enabled harmful outcomes for both the planet and vulnerable communities, I knew my original vision needed to be grounded in something more intentional, and that’s how I decided that responsible design practices had to be an integral component of this Fellowship.
I also came to realise that to create a truly immersive experience, the programme couldn’t be about leaders alone. It needed to welcome individual contributors, too, and this is what makes the Fellowship so unique: it creates social impact by training emerging regenerative leaders to guide emerging responsible designers.
There is so much to explore together, and I can’t wait to do that with you in our next cohort.”
structure & Time commitment
Three Phases Approach
Phase 1: Responsible Design Training (5 Weeks)
You’ll begin the unlearn with 5 weeks of self-paced, on-demand modules focused on the foundations of responsible design.
Each week concludes with a 1.5-hour group coaching session with Cecilia, your Responsible Design Coach, to help solidify your understanding.
During this phase, you will have a chance to reflect on the learning module content, engage with additional readings and bring any questions or reflections to explore with Cecilia during the weekly coaching sessions.
During this phase, both Individual Contributors and Regenerative Team Leaders will follow a similar learning path.
Phase 2: Practical Application for Social Impact (8 Weeks)
In the next 8 weeks, you’ll apply everything you’ve learned by working through a regenerative design process.
Your focus will be on creating meaningful solutions for ELWP.
This phase is your opportunity to bring your skills into action, co-designing for real-world impact with guidance, collaboration, and support.
During this phase, the Regenerative Team Leaders will be assigned to you along with up to four other Individual Contributors with the support of the Fellowship team.
Phase 3: Community Connection (6 Months+)
After you successfully complete the Fellowship, you will be invited to The Collective, the Fellowship Alumni community created to support each other’s progress and experiences after the Fellowship.
Next Cohort applications are now open
Start Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
End & Celebration Date: Friday, November 27, 2026
Applications for the six-monthly payments close: June 15, 2025
Online Dashboard
All coaching sessions will be recorded, so you can revisit them anytime. Each team will also have a dedicated Trello board to stay organized and up to date with tasks, resources, and key activities throughout the Fellowship.
Flexible, Online, and Built for Real Life
The Fellowship is fully online, combining both synchronous and asynchronous activities to offer maximum flexibility. All core activities, including coaching sessions, team meetings, and training, take place virtually on Friday at 8:00 am UK time. Teams typically meet once or twice a week, while the rest of the work can be done on your own schedule, making it ideal for balancing with other commitments.
Time commitment – 4 hours per week
You will get the most out of this Fellowship by dedicating a minimum of four hours per week for 13 weeks.
This recommendation includes all the guided coaching, self-guided learning and the time contributing to your team’s outputs.
This time will be distributed between:
🌱 Responsible Design Learning
🪶 Regenerative Design Process & Leadership
🐝 Impact-Driven Project Challenge
What is included
🌱 Hours of Responsible Design learning
🌱 Responsible Design Lessons
🐝 Sessions to share and build confidence
🌱 19 hours on responsible design learning led by Cecilia Scolaro
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- 12 hours of Responsible Design group coaching
- 7 hours of self-reflection and exercises
🪶 9 hours learning how to apply a Regenerative UX Process
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- 8 hours being directed by your team’s Regenerative Leader
- 2 x 30 minutes of 1:1 coaching with Sandra Gonzalez
🐝 24 hours applying your skills to create real social and environmental impact through the inspiring work of ELWP
- 4 hours of group feedback exploring how the outputs of the Fellowship are creating social impact for ELWP
- 20 hours applying everything you have learned to create responsible design outputs to support ELWP’s vision.
As an Individual Contributor you’ll collaborate within a small, diverse team of peers, supported by a dedicated Regenerative Team Leader who will assign weekly tasks to help keep the team focused, energised, and healthy.
This is an unique opportunity to explore the fundamentals of responsible design in a fun, creative, and supportive environment, unlike anything other programme currently offered in the UX community.
six payments of £ 69 plus VAT
No payment is needed to apply.
If invited to the Fellowship, you will be provided a payment link
We offer crowdfunding support
UX for Change helps make the Fellowship more accessible by supporting your fees through creative crowdfunding.
Here’s how it works:
If you’re interested, you simply agree to a six months payment plan, and then start spreading the word to your loved ones and professional network. Every time someone contributes to your campaign, your next monthly instalment is reduced.
It’s a supportive, community-powered way to invest in your growth while making a difference.
Watch this short video to learn how the crowdfunding works!
It explains everything you need to know about how it reduces the Fellowship fees and how the monthly payment plan is set up.
If anything isn’t clear or you have questions, feel free to leave a comment on the video, and we will clarify.
Ask your employer to invest in your growth
Many organisations have learning and development budgets sitting unused. The Fellowship costs less than most one-day conferences and lasts 13 weeks.
To make things super easy for you, we have created a presentation to share in two formats: Google Slides and PDF.
Ready to make the case?
Download the Fellowship overview and send it directly to your manager or L&D lead. It covers the programme structure, business rationale, and investment — everything they need to say yes.
Not sure how to start the conversation?
Here is one way to frame it: “I’d like to use part of my L&D budget to build skills in responsible design and AI ethics as it’s directly relevant to the work we’re doing.”
Does your organisation require a purchase order or an invoice?
No problem at all. We’re set up to work with large organisations and their procurement processes. We accept purchase orders, issue VAT invoices, and are fully VAT registered, so your company can reclaim the VAT as a training expense. Just apply, and we’ll take care of the paperwork.
Guided by Heart
Meet Cecilia Scolaro, our Responsible Design Coach and Sandra Gonzalez, the creator of the Fellowship. They will be your guides throughout the three phases of the Fellowship.
Cecilia Scolaro
Responsible Design Educator, Coach & Consultant
Sandra Gonzalez
Founder & Director of UX for Change
Our Previous Cohorts
We launched the Fellowship back in January 2025. Cohort 1, our pilot, gave us the opportunity to understand whether there was an interest from the UX for Change community for a space where responsible design training and practical application were welcome. Cohort 2, gave us a chance to learn from the feedback we were gifted by our fellows and implement a two-phase approach to the programme. Cohort 3 focused on the partnership with ELWP.
This section links to the outcomes of Cohort 1 in case you want to explore, while we finalise the outcomes of the other cohorts.
Cohort 1 | Looking Up
Cohort 2 | Beholding Dawn
Cohort 3 | Gentle Ripples
We believe that feedback is a gift, and while receiving such a gifts from the fellows, it was clear that the most common theme that emerged from reflecting on the Fellowship was: Transformation.
We are proud to share some of these gifts with you.
“This Fellowship has strengthened my ability to push back on [clients that ignore research] and make sure we are designing for real people not just for those business goals and growth.”
“It was transformational. In a span of three months I unlearned things I spent learning for a year. It was a necessary experience for me to grow as a researcher and a person.”
The Fellowship community
This Fellowship has been transformative for many reasons, as it is a very personal journey. To support this journey in 2026, we launched The Collective, our alumni Fellowship community. With only two cohorts fully completed (cohort 3 finishes in July 2026), we have been extending our support to fellow alumni to nurture the emergence of personal projects and continuous professional exploration within the responsible design space. We have also witnessed friends and family members come together to support the fellows financially so they can embark on this very unique journey.
Cohorts Since the Launch on Jan 2025
Fellows that successfully completed the Fellowship
Personal projects inspired by the fellowship
Friend and Family that have Crowdfunded the Fellows
FAQ
Let us know if you have any questions
Where can I ask questions Not cover in this FAQ?
You can send any questions not cover on this FAQ via our LinkedIn page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ux-for-change/
We will respond within a week.
How many sessions is the fellowship (in person or remote) and how much time should they expect to allocate?
The Fellowship is primarily remote, offering the flexibility to participate from anywhere. While we do host an optional in-person celebration at the end of the cohort, all core activities take place online.
Participants should plan to dedicate around 4 hours per week, which includes independent work and one to two live video session most weeks for coaching or mentoring. This structure allows you to make steady progress while balancing other personal and professional commitments.
is the fellowship open to all genders?
Yes, all genders are welcome to apply to the Fellowship