Suppose you need to involve hundreds of engaged community members to shape strategic thinking for a significant issue. Here's how Kansas City engaged hundreds of citizens to .identify critical issues and needs for digital inclusion by closing the digital divide.

1. Brainzooming
™
1www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion Summit Recap:
Engaging the
Community to
Shape Direction
The Brainzooming Group

2. Brainzooming
™
2www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
The Brainzooming Group
• We help smart
organizations improve their
success by rapidly
expanding their strategic
options and creating
innovative, efficient-to-
implement plans.
Our Process Is:
– Adaptable
– Multi-disciplinary
– Refined through hundreds of engagements
– Growing daily
™

3. Brainzooming
™
3www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion - Background
• Public library-led Steering Committee addressing digital
inclusion for Kansas City
• Opportunity
– Among other initiatives, an open community gathering was
already scheduled to share information on various topics
related to digital inclusion
• Challenge
– Avoiding hosting a community gathering where information is
shared, but without the structure that leads to clear
deliverables

4. Brainzooming
™
4www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion - Visioning Approach
• Organize previously-scheduled presentations
along two tracks: Best Practices and
Strategies
• Despite no formal structure for the
presentations, create a flexible, self-
facilitated exercise to fit into each
presentation so participants can contribute
their ideas, suggestions, and advice
• Use the participant input to create a
document from The Digital Inclusion Summit
to help steer digital inclusion initiatives

5. Brainzooming
™
5www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com

6. Brainzooming
™
6www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion – Visioning in Action
• Digital Inclusion Summit participants
both learned and engaged in building on
the information shared during the full-
day session
• Participants generated a wide variety of
ideas addressing outreach,
collaboration, engagement, resources,
education, access, strategy, technology,
and other topics
• Created an all-day exercise where
people volunteered to be in the digital
divide by surrendering their technology

7. Brainzooming
™
7www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
“I’m in the Divide” Experience
• Invited participants to forsake their digital
connectivity for the day and report on their
experiences

8. Brainzooming
™
8www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Creating Opportunities to Engage
• Used “Next Step Sheets” to provide a way for
individual participants to express interest in:
– Becoming involved
– Helping identify resources
– Pledging support for digital inclusion

9. Brainzooming
™
9www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion - Output
• A thirty-page report based around nine
community-generated themes:
1. Create a Collaborative Movement ACROSS Digital
Inclusion Initiatives
2. Reframe Digital Inclusion around Geographic and
Organizational Lines
3. Build Stronger Awareness of Real Opportunities and
Aspirations
4. Involve Faith-Based and Community Groups to Reach
People
5. Meaningfully Engage Businesses in Digital Inclusion
6. Take Advantage of Cross-Generational Opportunities
7. Addressing Concerns, Risks, and Fears
8. Barriers to Access Extend Well Beyond Technology Issues
9. Aggregate digital inclusion resources and services, review
best practices, and establish benchmarks
Report available for download at: http://digitalinclusionkc.org/

10. Brainzooming
™
10www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
Digital Inclusion Next Steps
• Better coordinating complementary efforts
• Expanding leadership
• Call for a “1% program” supporting literacy and
digital inclusion within Kansas City
• Mayor’s Challenge Cabinet tasked with
researching and drafting an ordinance /
resolution for City policy and priorities on digital
inclusion

11. Brainzooming
™
11www.Brainzooming.com • 816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com
When you need to generate better business results quickly, The
Brainzooming™ Group is your answer. Our proven approach:
• Builds on your business knowledge and expertise
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Brainzooming has been employed successfully hundreds of times
from small organizations to Fortune 500 companies. Put the idea in
place. Call Brainzooming today.
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Innovative Strategic Thinking + Your Business Knowledge
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One-Day Plans • Strategy Development Workshops • Social Media Strategy
New Product Ideation • Training • On-Call Brain Boosts • Brand Development
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Catalyzing Innovative Success
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816-509-5320 • info@brainzooming.com