Senior Programme Manager
Allison Edwards studied at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, British Colombia where she was awarded a Masters in Interdisciplinary Design and at Monash University in Melbourne, where she earned a PhD in Design.
Allison joined the CPI team in 2022.
Allison also volunteered at an after-school art programme for disadvantaged youth for several years while in University and was part of the team that designed an app enabling young women and people of marginalised identities to share experiences around the city. The resulting engagements with city officials, police, transportation and local councils resulted in changes to council plans, different distributions in funding, and deepened understanding of the interconnected factors needed to reduce gender based violence.
Allison believes that one of the best things we get to do as learning partners is hold space for groups to get to know each other better as individuals, and have a play. She says that feeling the energy in a room shift when people get into a game or activity is incredible, and it only takes one or two people to make this magic happen.
Allison’s most joyful moments are often when her three year old mini-schnoodle Clooney takes her for a long walk along the river and she listens to the podcast OnBeing with Krista Tippett.
Allison’s studies:
PlayTank Collective; Mayes E., Healy S., Flynn, A., Edwards A. 2022. ‘Anarchiving Assemblages at Play: learning bodies and sympogogies’ in Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry Vol 14, No 1, 2022
Korsmeyer, H. and Edwards, A., 2018. ‘Tangible Thinking: the impact value of oblique co-design & tacit knowledge’.
Bawden, G. and Edwards, A., 2018. ‘Pride of Place: Co-design, community engagement and the Victorian Pride Centre.’ Fusion Journal, (13), pp.43-63.
Edwards, A. and Korsmeyer, H., 2017. ‘Communication with Self, with Others, and with Futures: Making Artefacts in Design Thinking Workshops’. LEA-Lingue e Letterature d’Oriente, 6, pp.157-176.
‘Playing in the Grass’ in Wonderings. Blog
Edwards, A 2017 ‘ Sharing stories for research’ University of Melbourne’s ILETC blog.