The Reciprocity Gathering: Unlocking Creativity for Catalyzing Local Innovation

At Creative Service Club (CSC), we believe everyone has untapped creative potential to shape just and sustainable futures. Our approach is simple yet powerful: we bring together local changemakers (non-profits, grassroots organizations, social enterprises) with multidisciplinary teams through immersive experiences of radical collaboration. We call these experiences ‘Gatherings’ – and SOCAP participants will be immersed in this transformative process firsthand.

This hands-on workshop moves facilitates meaningful action. Participants will join a short-format ‘Gathering,’ partnering with real social enterprises facing current challenges. Using the Creative Service Club’s decentralized design framework, teams will move through a guided sprint – reframing problems, generating creative solutions, and crafting actionable next steps.

What makes our approach special? We create spaces where everyone’s voice matters, where unexpected collaborations (and even friendships) flourish, and where tangible results emerge. This isn’t just another brainstorming session – it’s a practical demonstration of how creativity helps us break silos and foster genuine connection that can accelerate impact in our communities.

Proposed Format:

Opening (5 minutes)
– Buffer time for participants to arrive and settle in
– Brief welcome and setting the tone

Core Workshop (55 minutes)

Introduction to the Creative Service Club approach and the challenge(s) (7 minutes)
– Quick overview of the Gathering concept
– Introduction of the social enterprise partner(s) and their challenge

Team Formation (5 minutes)
– Guided process to form diverse groups
– Quick icebreaker to establish initial connections

Guided Sprint (35 minutes)
– Challenge exploration and reframing (10 minutes)
– Ideation and solution development (15 minutes)
– Refinement and next steps identification (10 minutes)

Quick Share-outs (8 minutes)
– Each team shares key insights and proposed actions
– Social enterprise partner provides brief feedback

Relationship Building (15 minutes)
– Structured networking activities to cement connections
– Exchange of contact information
– Commitment to specific follow-up actions
– Distribution of any digital resources/toolkit for continued collaboration