Utilize creativity and imagination to create a bank of ideas that can respond to the challenges and opportunities you heard from your community. Brainstorming is limitless – start from the perspective that anything is possible.
Why It’s Important:
Brainstorming allows us to utilize creativity to solve old problems in new ways. When the people who are closest to the problem (residents and staff) are a part of the brainstorming process, we can generate solutions that outsiders or organization leaders may not have considered.
What We Learned:
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Creativity is hard! There are many types of brainstormers: green light (anything is possible!), yellow light (let’s make some tweaks), red light (will this really work?). Embrace all types as necessary and useful.
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Trauma can make it difficult to imagine the future. Get creative with ways to engage your team in future thinking – brainstorm as a group, incorporate music, try improv, use games, look for ways to have fun. Utilize the worksheets in the “Helpful Tools” section for more guidance.
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When brainstorming, stay brainstorming. Don’t jump straight to implementation or feasibility just yet. This phase is about imagining what is possible, without limitations.
Helpful Tools:
