Design For America National Scoping Jam
How might we identify a problem space on the topic of civic engagement as a starting point for college students across the country to create real change?
LOCATION: Remote
SKILLS: Project Management, Scoping, Research, Pitching
TIMEFRAME: June 2020 - August 2020 (3 months)
TEAM: Malaika Franks and other contributing researchers
ROLE: Team Lead
AUDIENCE: Design For America national network
Cover graphic by Malaika Franks
CONTEXT:
Design for America (DFA) is a national organization educating college students on design thinking through its studios at schools across the United States. As part of its “DFA Days of Summer” programming, I was selected as a team lead for the Civic Engagement Project Scoping Jam. I led a team of students and alumni from multiple schools in conducting primary and secondary research to identify possible problem spaces in the area of civic engagement. The goal was to propose a “how can we” question to add to the National Challenge Library that teams at DFA studios across the country could explore in their own area.
DELIVERABLES:
A 7-minute project pitch video, pitch deck, and project proposal with our preliminary research and resource suggestions were added to the DFA National Library for Fall 2020 and beyond. DFA teams who select the project will have access to additional support from DFA National and myself through office hours during the semester. I also wrote a short blog post for DFA National describing the experience.