The CORE is a fictional and hypotetical organisation, designed as a school project for the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon, concerning the position of design in the global conjuncture, and its precious role in engaging communities (specifically, to be aware of their and other's rights, and the growing need to defend and fight for them).

The project consisted in designing an organisation and a system, defining its goals and methods, setting up platforms to get their message across, and ultimately to make it all real and believable enough, so it could eventually even be picked up and used.

The next steps would include a further development on some of the platforms (namely the blog and booklet) and strategies, defining a corporate identity for the organisation, designing a full-on campaign, and of course, revision, revision, revision.

The CORE is inspired by the human rights movement, and the rising need to defend and fight for them. The revolutions in North Africa were a wake-up call to very serious and global infringements on the Human Rights Declaration. But the people are rising to the challenge. They are taking it into their own matters, and fighting back.

Thus the setting of a supporting organisation is very needed, even urgent. The CORE is the response to this need, acting on a twin-effect basis: encouragement and support. To achieve this, it relies on its own support, from a mother organisation and two external partnerships.

When reaction burns through the veins of a community, it is our place to provide the fuel to let it burn. Ok, maybe not the best analogy. This organisation functions on a support basis to communities that are willing to fight against oppressors or sources of oppression, helping organise rallies and encouraging a pro-active and peaceful protest and pression, and providing them with health and food supplies. In the same manner, we are also concerned with inocent bystanders or the possibly injured. So we provide them with the protection they require, and offer them re-accomodation and exit strategies.

This is an internal, pro-active function. An external action would also be a part of The CORE. Setting up a website, with a supportive Facebook discussion/promotion page and a news feed blog, meets the objective of both "promoting" what is happening arount the world, and a localised view of both the actions taken by the organisation and the impact in the community. Also, the organisation would also focus on encouraging diplomatic discussion among those involved, and the powers concerned.

This system would be, of course, very well supported by the three institutions involved in the project. And the organisation would be the core of their efforts joined together.

The CORE would be born as a branched unit of Amnisty International, a global non-profit organisation focused on protecting, defending and reinforcing human rights worldwide. So it is only fitting that an impact-based organisation such as ours, would form from, and be supported by, a global institution. AI would be able to provide a donations and volunteer basis, as well as a center for the human rights theme.

From then on, a partnership would be made with both the Red Cross and the United Nations. The Red Cross concentrates the powers needed to act inside a community (region, country) and provide the supplies to help them, including a free moving strategy. As for the United Nations, they are the major authority in maintaining peace, and would provide the best diplomatic platform for inducing conversations among people and powers, and for promoting the organization's situation.

The booklet presents an historical context to the theme, and the reasons of the existence of such an organisation, at the same time. ETHICS was a web publication I did some time ago about Graphic Design and the Ethical repercussions of the profession. I found most fitting that a human rights publication would adopt the same format. In this hypotetical thesis, ETHICS would also be a real publication, and the presentation of The CORE would be a special issue dedicated to it. You will find a more expansive view of the organisation's approach there.

 it’s about revolution, and always has been:
the great cycles within and without.

Jessica Forman

In a nutshell, it's about revolution. This is a project about human rights.

Please remember that this project is hypotetical. Every reference to real organisations is purely speculative.