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The South Design Research Studio is a collaborative research and storytelling agency. We focus on sharing authentic stories and insights from diverse communities in the American South, Latin America, and the Caribbean to positively influence the design of community services, policies, and products. Here, we share tools and ideas from those doing aligned work across the region.
Over the past few months, I’ve been in conversation with leaders across the Caribbean, the U.S. South, and Latin America who are reimagining how we listen, document, and design for community wellbeing, advancement, and equity. It warms my heart when I share what I’m building through The South and people light up, connect me with others, or send stories my way. Little by little, I’m starting to see evidence of the kind of work I hoped to learn about and how it stretches and connects us across borders. Especially seeing all the tragedies natural and manmade that have affected the region in even just a matter of months, it is humbling and lovely to connect with people who continue moving forward with hope, bold vision and groundedness through the challenges.
On a practical note, I’ve also been building out practical resources that support bilingual (Spanish/English) research in community settings. If you want to see more or be a thought partner on that, let me know!
That’s it for now. And if you scroll down and make it to the end, I’d love to hear what resonates or why you read. I hope this space feels as useful and inspiring for you as it does for me to write it.
Much love from the bottom of my little Southern heart,
Keara 🧡
Keara Cormier-Hill
Founder, The South Design Research Studio
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Feature to Come: The Rich Coast Project (Limón, Costa Rica)
Remember that story I promised from Limón, Costa Rica? Earlier this year, I spoke with Katie Beck, founder of The Rich Coast Project—a participatory research initiative protecting land rights and cultural heritage along Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast. Through oral histories and digital archiving, her team documents families whose ancestral land claims live in memory and practice, but not in official records.
I was inspired by Katie's work then, and this month, I'm thrilled to share that I'll get to meet some of the team on the ground. A fuller story is coming after that trip. Until then, here's a glimpse into their work:
🎥 George Hansel on the Struggle for Secure Property Rights →
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Things That Caught My Eye Last Month
👉🏾Organizations to Follow
- Kindred Futures — activating shared prosperity for Black communities across the U.S. South.
- Grantmakers for Southern Progress — who just wrapped up their 2025 convening, Building Southern Solidarity Through Crisis and Beyond, spotlighting how immigrant rights and grassroots leaders in the U.S. South are weaving resilience through hurricanes, raids, pandemics, and beyond.
🤲 Work to Support
- Colectivo de Diseño Público — an initiative strengthening the role of design in the public sector across Latin America. They’re creating the first collaborative map of public design in the region and looking for input from those who do this kind of work. If your work aligns, consider adding your project to their regional survey: Understanding Public Service Design in LATAM. (LinkedIn post for context)
- Repair Campaign — amplifying the call for #ReparatoryJustice in the Caribbean.
👇 Sign in solidarity: Know Your Caribbean Slave Records
🎶 Music to Get Into
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Asks & Offers
Asks
🌎 Looking to learn
I’d love to meet or be connected to people and organizations working on participatory design, cultural celebration, and community wellbeing across the American South, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
🤝 Collaborators for next year
Next year, I’ll be looking to collaborate with content creators, storytellers, and co-facilitators who share these values. So if someone comes to mind, I’d love to meet them or just have them on my radar.
Feel free to reply to this email with anyone you think woud be good for me to connect with.
Offers
✨ An opportunity for facilitators and collaborators
I recently joined the UFacilitate community—woohoo! 🎉 It’s a global network of facilitators united by a shared passion for making collaboration work.
They’re especially hoping to welcome more facilitators from Central America, particularly those with experience in DEIJ, Social Labs, Peace & Conflict Resolution, or Collective Impact.
Anyone interested can join the waitlist of referrals to stay connected and be notified when new projects open up. The waitlist also receives short update emails every six months.
📣 Share what you’re creating
If you or someone in your network has something exciting happening that feels like it would fit in this space -a new project, event, or story to amplify—I’d love to feature it in a future issue. Just hit reply and share with me!
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💌 Let’s stay in touch
If you are interested in working with us or learning more, feel free to book time on my calendar to chat or reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you!
If you were forwarded this email and want to sign up for our newsletter, subscribe here.
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