‘Folks for a World that Works’: Fernando Mendes
In the comedic slipstream of Ems Coombes’ responses to OurNet’s inspirational Q&A is Fernando Mendes. Mover and shaker in Lisbon’s creative industries culture and leading light in the world of coworking, he’s co-founder of Coworklisboa, Portugal’s first such space.
“Born in France, but my soul is Portuguese,” says Fernando, who is “interested in all tomorrow’s issues”.
“I love to teach and learn. I am now looking for new ways of teaching and learning throughout my PhD on Design,” he adds.
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OurNet: Thank you for taking part in the ‘Folks for a World that Works’ Q&A Fernando, please begin by telling us about yourself and your big passion?
Fernando: I’m an average guy (like in that old Lou Reed song), a designer with a background on social projects like Forum Estudante (Portuguese Students’ Magazine); CAIS (magazine like UK’s Big Issue); Banco Alimentar (Food Bank) among other projects.
I was the founder of Cyber.net, the first Portuguese Internet-related Magazine and CD-Rom. Until late 2001 I was Terravista’s Head of Design, which is a kind of Portuguese Geocities.
I love people, diversity, difference, friction and creativity. I also teach Design at IADE University and I’m currently a PhD student with a thesis on Design Education and Coworking Spaces.
My big passion has nothing to do with this. I’m a Lou Reed / The Velvet Underground maniac. Love birds, too. I don’t know why.
OurNet: What would a ‘world that works’ look like to you?
Fernando: A world that progresses leaving no one behind. We think we are living a digital transition, even a 4th industrial revolution, but some people (in Portugal) still don’t have electricity at home.
OurNet: What is stopping us from creating a ‘beautiful world we all know in our hearts is possible’?
Fernando: Laziness.
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The ‘Folks for a World that Works’ Q&A is a growing collection of inspiring mini-interviews with people in and around the OurNet community.
Please message OurNet’s Community Builder Carl Munson if you’d like to make a contribution. Or, like Fernando, go straight here, and complete online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbrRgAdtNfUe-Xt1DEg-O5iXpDOtgBDkNj92tgnt33lmIcWg/viewform