Using design-thinking (the discipline of navigating complex problems and creatively designing
effective solutions to meet people's real needs), these workshops allow partners to explore
unconventional approaches to a specific challenge or problem and come up with creative
solutions that benefit multiple sectors or audiences in more than one way:
• Identify new solutions.
• Create shared buy-in & sense of ownership.
• Generate verbal/written commitments to solve some of our toughest challenges.
• Activate and scale quickly & cost-effectively.
• Increase adoption by other potential partners by co-creating solutions on their own
terms, rather than being prescribed what to do. In sum, a pop-up workshop is a proven
method for creating a multiplier effect that engages many more stakeholders across
sectors and disciplines than the Census Bureau or any one partner could accomplish on its own.
Instructor Name: Bridgitte Wyche McGee, U.S. Census Bureau-Partnership Coordinator, MI & IN