Frog collective action_toolkit

collective
action
PLAN: Divide and Conquer

toolkit

groups
make
change

frogdesign.com/CAT v1.01 / 11.2012

HELLO! THIS TOOLKIT IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WORK
WITH GROUPS IN THEIR COMMUNITY TO:

solve
No matter what size of problem you’re looking to solve,
the activities here can help your group investigate and
generate solutions for community problems. For example:
you might be motivated to help people around you get

problems access to healthier food, reduce how many people
are becoming sick because of an infectious disease,
construct a new building, or start a small business.

build Gain important life skills with your group and understand
how to best put them to use. For example: critical thinking,
listening to others, asking better questions, generating

new skills ideas, active collaboration, creating better stories, and
inspiring and sustaining collective action.

gain By pooling what you know and who you know, you can
better support each other in your group and beyond.
For example: with your group, you can gain perspective

knowledge on a community problem or need, as well as reach out
to more people that could support those solutions.

all you need how to use
is a group this toolkit
and a goal It all starts with the action map. At the center of the
action map is your shared goal. You want to make
these goals real. This is where your group begins.
The Collective Action Toolkit was created to help
community leaders bring together groups to solve
shared problems and act on them. It consists of an
imagine
action map and activities arranged into six activity more ideas

areas. The action map that follows will help you
understand what activity options you have for seek make
new understanding something real
clarify your

when your group meets. GOAL

build plan
your group for action

There are six activity areas that a team Goals change over time, based on how
can move through in pursuit of their goal. we learn and grow as people. So while
The areas around your goal inspire how you will start your group by setting a
you move through the process of taking shared goal, your group will continuously
action. Each time you do an activity, you’ll return to the center of the action map to
learn something valuable that helps take stock of what you’ve accomplished
you better understand your goals and and look ahead to what still needs to
how to act to reach them. be done to reach your goal.

imagine
more ideas

seek make
new understanding something real
clarify your

GOAL

build plan
your group for action

frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT

learning card
Record what your group discovers and map your progress as you use this Toolkit.
what we did what we learned what we’re going to do next
activity names in the order we key ahas! from the activities try another activity, clarify our
completed them we did goal, revisit our approach
www.frogdesign.com/CAT
cut along line
learning card
Record what your group discovers and map your progress as you use this Toolkit.
what we did what we learned what we’re going to do next
activity names in the order we key ahas! from the activities try another activity, clarify our
completed them we did goal, revisit our approach

frog collective action toolkit

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

keep a visual record of how your goal evolves
Continue to remind your group of their goal and how they’re moving

clarify towards it. Hang things up on the walls, keep stacks of paper with old
sketches, and photograph your time together. They will serve as both a
record of your progress and an inspiration for future work.

your goal stock up on the right supplies
While most activities in this toolkit require no more than a pencil and
paper, there are suggestions for extra supplies that may come in handy
and help your group use your time more effectively.

Agree on the problem you’re trying to solve and what be aware of your shared values
Openly discuss with your group what’s important to you and how you like
goals you want to achieve by working together. This to work, so there aren’t big surprises when you take on big challenges.
activity area is critical to your team’s success, as your
make sure you’re having fun
goals may change depending on what your group learns. Even if you get serious in the activity you’re doing, remember to laugh
and celebrate when you’re done. You’re accomplishing great things!

clarify activities

RIPPLE FIND
WHAT
EFFECT TRUE NORTH
TO TACKLE
suggested sequences
Define your goal when your group meets for the first time:

Ripple Find True
Effect North

add your
add your add your
own activity Revisit this area as you travel from one activity
own activity own activity
area to the next, so your team stays aligned.
fold along line


CLARIFY ACTIVITY 1 CLARIFY ACTIVITY 1

1 Divide your group into teams of three

ripple effect people. Hand each team a piece of paper
and ask them to write a question they’re
trying to work through at the top. Then
Decide what kind of impact you want your group to draw a circle in the center of the page that
contains the names of the group members.
have—from improving the lives of individuals in your
community to changing your country or the world.
CLARIFY: Ripple Effect
2 Have each team write around the first
circle the effect they’d like to have on close
friends or family. Draw a larger circle around
these names and label it ‘individuals’ .

3 Write the effects the team would like
to have on their community around the
individuals circle. Draw a larger circle
around these newly added affects and label
it ‘community.’ Continue the exercise for
the effects the team wants to have on their
country, nation, and world.

4 Ask everybody to post their Ripple Effects
where to next? on the wall and talk about their similarities
time
and differences. Choose a circle to focus
30 min. for a team of Try another Clarify activity like ‘Define Your Problem’
on and the effects you’d like to see. Write
3 people, add 5 mins. to better understand the problem you want to solve.
these on a clean sheet of paper with when
each additional team
you’d like to see this happen. Put this sheet
roles Define Your on the wall so the team can use it later.
Participants, 1 recorder, Problem
1 facilitator

materials
Printer-size paper
(8.5” x 11”) or larger, pens
fold along line

Optional: camera, markers




define your problem people. Hand each team a piece of paper
and ask them to write the most important
problem their group is trying to solve, plus
Define the problem your group wants to tackle and one to three key questions the team needs
to answer to tackle this issue.
establish key questions to answer along the way.

CLARIFY: Define Your Problem
2 Give each team 10 minutes to make a skit
that illustrates their problem. Teams can
use whatever props they can find where
they meet.

3 Have each team perform their skit. After
each performance, have the audience
guess the problem they tried to illustrate.
Ask each team to read aloud and post
their problem and question sheet.

4 After every team has gone, ask everyone
where to next? to put a star next to the problem they feel
time is most important. Discuss the problems
45 min. for a team of Try another Clarify activity like ‘Ripple Effect’ to see that received the most stars and come
3 people, add 5 mins. what impact you’d like to have with this project. to an agreement on the problem and key
each additional team questions the project needs to address.
roles Ripple
Participants, 1 recorder, Effect
1 facilitator

materials
Printer-size paper (8.5”
x 11”) or larger, pens
fold along line




1 Stand in a circle. Have each person stand in

find true north the middle of the circle, one at a time, and
say out loud what they want to achieve with
this project. Record these on a large piece
As a group, come to agreement on the goals you want of paper.

to achieve—and when you want to achieve them.

CLARIFY: Find True North
2 Once everyone in your group has spoken,
give everyone a pen and ask them to put
a star next to their first, second, and third
choices for possible project goals.

3 Look at the statements that didn’t receive
any stars and talk about why no one voted
for them. Record any key ideas from
discussing them and then cross out these
statements on the piece of paper. Feel free
to combine or edit people’s sentences to
better capture their ideas.

4 Count the stars that were given to each
where to next? statement. The statement with the most
time stars is your primary goal, the second-most
45 min. with a team of Try Build Your Group activities like ‘Skill Share’ to stars your secondary goal, and so forth.
5 people, add 3 mins. for each identify resources you’ll need to reach your goals. Write your goals on another sheet of paper.
additional person Then work with your group to establish the
roles timeframe for achieving these goals.
Skill Share
Participants, 1 recorder,
1 facilitator

materials When you’re done: Put your goals and
Printer-size paper (8.5” timeframe up on the wall for people to see
fold along line

when they come to your group meeting.



1 Take a minute to look at the output of all

check your goal the activities you’ve done and reflect on
what your group has learned.

See if anything has changed about the goals you
want your group to achieve.

CLARIFY: Check Your Goal
2 Fill out a Learning Card or write on a sheet
of paper what your group did: activity
names in the order you completed them,
as well as what your group learned: big
takeaways from the activities you did.

3 Compare what you learned with the goals
your group had agreed upon. If your goal
still holds true, continue on to another
activity. Write this next step at the bottom
of the Learning Card or piece of paper.

4 If the group feels like their goal has
where to next? changed, write why you think your goal
time may be different at the bottom of the
45 min. with a team of Try Build Your Group activities like ‘Skill Share’ to Learning Card or piece of paper. Then go
5 people, add 3 mins. for each identify resources you’ll need to reach your goals. through one or all of the other Clarify Your
additional person Goal activities to find your team’s new
roles shared goal. Put this new goal up on the
Skill Share
Participants, 1 recorder, wall for people to see when you meet.
1 facilitator

materials
fold along line




respect people’s uniqueness
Encourage different points of view. Part of the joy of spending time with

build
other people is celebrating their differences as much as their similarities.

be mindful of their time

your group
Spending time with your group can be fun and rewarding. But as a leader,
set healthy boundaries for meetings and how their time is respected.

provide constructive feedback
Build on each other’s input. Say “yes, and…” rather than “yes, but…”
Free exchange of ideas thrives on this kind of feedback.

Bring together people in your community, identifying make conversation visible
their unique strengths and their commitment to your Designate someone from your group to capture information and ideas
that come up in your group meetings. Then share them with back with
cause. These activities will help your group members
your group to fuel inspiration.
better understand each other and recruit members
ask what to improve
that want to help you reach your shared goals.
Ask your group what went well and what could be made even better for
the next time you get together. Everyone in the group will feel like they’ve
been heard.
build activities

SKILL WHO
KNOWLEDGE
SHARE INSPIRES US
HUNT
suggested sequences
To grow your team:

Skill Knowledge Rings of
Share Fest Connection

add your
RINGS OF add your To quickly get to know your teammates:
own activity
CONNECTION own activity
fold along line

Skill Who
Try any activity you like until your team feels
Share Inspires Us
good about it. Then we recommend trying the
above sequences.


BUILD ACTIVITY 1 BUILD ACTIVITY 1

1 Hand out two sheets of paper per group

skill share member. On the first sheet, have each
person write:
•
The name they’d like the other group
Encourage your group members to share their unique members to call them
• he skills and talents they have and
T
skills—and determine what skills they may need to
believe are relevant
reach their goals. • One recent accomplishment

BUILD: Skill Share
2 On the second sheet of paper, ask each
person to create something that expresses
who they are and what they like. For exam-
ple, they could create a drawing or a collage.
But group members don’t have to use the
paper. They could also make a skit, a dance,
sing a song about themselves, and so forth.

3 Ask each group member to share their
first page and whatever they made on the
second page. Take notes about what they
share, and consider taking pictures as
they present so everyone in the group has
a record of who each person is for future
group members.

4 Once everybody has shared, ask people
where to next? to put up their two sheets of paper on the
time wall. Lead a discussion with the group and
45 min. with a team of Try another Build Activity like ‘Rings of Connection‘ capture on a large piece of paper:
5 people to determine who your group members might know • The types of skills your team has a lot of
who have desired skills. • The skills your team still needs
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, Keep this visible where you meet, so group
1 recorder Rings of members are reminded of these skills.
Connection
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”),
pens, camera
optional: stickers, photos,
fold along line

markers, colored paper



1 Give each group member a piece of paper.

knowledge fest Ask them to write down a question, either
big or small, that is relevant to the specific
problem the group is interested in solving
Find out what your team already knows about together. Make sure there’s only one
question on each sheet of paper.
challenges you’re interested in solving together—
and what you’d like to learn.
BUILD: Knowledge Fest
2 After everyone has written down a
question, pin or tape all the questions
up. If you don’t have enough wall space,
you can spread them out on the floor.

3 Have each group member walk around the
room and respond to as many questions as
they can by writing their answers directly
on the pieces of paper. If someone thinks
of another question to ask, have them write
the question on a new piece of paper and
pin it up with the others.

4 Read all the questions and responses
where to next? aloud to the group. As you read through
time them, identify which questions the group
45 min. with a team of Try another Build Activity like ‘Rings of Connection‘ feels they still need answers to by putting
5–10 people to determine who your group members might know a check mark or star next to them. Make
who can help you with the information you need. a list of these unanswered questions
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, and what group members can do next to
1 recorder Rings of answer them.
Connection
materials
x 11”), pens
optional: tape, pins,
fold along line

camera, markers



1 Divide your group into two teams and give

who inspires us them a piece of paper.

Identify people in your community and beyond
that inspire your group and could help you solve
your group’s challenges.
BUILD: Who Inspires Us
2 Ask each team to write down the names
of as many people as possible who could
help them solve a problem. These people
could be famous, infamous, personal
family, friends, and other connections.
Note the reasons why group members
chose each person.

3 Give each team five minutes to share their
list with the other group. As the teams
share, have someone write down all of
the names and reasons why each person
was chosen on a sheet of paper everyone
can see.

4 Next, have the entire group look at the
where to next? names on the list and talk about what
time all these people have in common. Write
40 min. for a group of Try another Build Activity like ‘Knowledge Fest’ to down these commonalities and any other
5 people help your team answer questions that stand in the interesting discussion points for everyone
way of moving forward. to see. Put these notes on the wall so
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, everyone can remember who inspires them
1 recorder Knowledge
and who could help them in the future.

materials Fest
Printer-size paper (8.5” When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
x 11”), pens Try moving to the Seek New Understand- you transition to another activity area.
fold along line

ing activity area to try ‘Interviewing 101’
markers, post-its and meet some of these people.




rings of connection people. Hand each team a piece of paper
and ask them to write a question they’re
trying to work through at the top of the
Discover which people in your community can help page. Then draw a circle in the center of
the page that contains the names of the
your team with specific challenges
team members.

BUILD: Rings of Connection
2 Have each team write around the first
circle the names of people they’d reach
out to first for help. These could be trusted
friends and family members. Draw a larger
circle around these names.

3 Write the names of the people the team
would reach out to next if those people in
the second circle weren’t available. Draw
a larger circle around these newly added
names. Then have each team look at their
initial question and review their network
of relationships.

4 Ask team members to place a star next to
where to next? the people they’d talk to that could help
time them answer the question. Write down what
30 min. for a team of 3 Try moving to Seek New Understanding activities the team would learn by speaking to them.
people, add 5 mins. each like “Interviewing 101” to start talking with some When all of the teams are done, put your
additional team of the people you’ve identified. Don’t forget to fill diagrams up on the wall so the rest of the
out a Learning Card when you transition to another group can see them. Repeat as necessary
roles
activity area. for other questions you need to answer.
Participants, 1 facilitator

materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”), Interviewing Try doing this activity with materials or
pens 101
meeting spaces you might need instead
fold along line

of people.
markers, post-its



start where they live
Talk with people in your community. They may know more than you

seek new realize and give you perspective on how to deal with issues.

look for difficulties or obstacles

understanding
They could be problems your group can solve. Note what little things you
could help with immediately, or big issues that haven’t been addressed.

watch what people do
It’s great to listen to what people say when you talk with them, but it
adds so much more to watch what they do in real life. What do you notice?
Reach out to people in your community and gain their pretend you don’t know
perspective on issues that matter to them. Ask the When meeting with other people, ask open-ended questions, even if you
right kinds of questions and explore how people in your think you may already know how they’ll answer. You might be surprised.

community live their lives. Discover their unmet needs capture your thoughts
Take notes about what you talk about, so you can reflect on what hap-
and better inform and inspire your group to help.
pened. Words, drawings, photographs, and video can come in handy.

look for patterns
seek activities Once you talk to several people, you may see and hear some of the same
things come up. Note these patterns, as they can help you identify issues
and possible solutions.

FIND ISSUES, WE SAW,
INTERVIEWING
UNCOVER IDEAS WE HEARD
101 suggested sequences
Quick exploration

Find Issues, Always use the activity
Pattern
Uncover “Pattern Quest” before
Quest
Needs leaving this area.

add your
PATTERN add your Go in to the community
own activity
QUEST own activity
fold along line

Interviewing We Saw, Pattern
101 We Heard Quest


SEEK ACTIVITY 1 SEEK ACTIVITY 1

1 Split the group into two teams. Hand out

find issues, uncover needs paper and pens to each team. Give both
teams 10 minutes to come up with as many
brief skits as they can that illustrate issues
Better understand the problems people face in your they want to address in their community.
It helps when individual team members
community and consider what your group can do
quickly write down potential skit ideas
collectively to help. before creating the skits.

SEEK: Find Issues, Uncover Needs
2 Flip a coin to see which team will act out
their skits first. The winning team will be
the actors first, the losing team will be the
recorders first. As one team performs,
the other team draws or writes down what
they have learned from the performance
and potential solutions for the issues that
were discussed.

3 Once both teams have performed, each
group should draw or write down ideas
about how to change the other group’s iss-
ues for the better. Bring everyone back into
the larger group so the members from each
team can share their possible solutions.
Have one person record these solutions on
a large piece of paper.

4 As a group, take a look at the solutions you
where to next? had all generated. Write down next to them
time what resources and support people in your
1 hr. 45 min. Try another Seek activity like ‘Pattern Quest’ community might need to make those
to compare what your teammates found in their solutions real.
roles
community explorations.
Participants, 1 facilitator and
timekeeper

materials Pattern
Quest
large paper, pens, a watch When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: camera, markers Try moving to Imagine More Ideas to act you transition to another activity area.
fold along line

on something you found in your skits that
inspired a potential solution.



1 Ask your individual group members to write

interviewing 101 a list of people that struggle with issues
related to the goal you want to achieve.
Write down:
Plan an interview from start to finish, then go into • Why you would want to talk with them
• What you would learn by talking to them
your community and talk with people about issues
• here you would want to meet with them
W
that matter to them.
SEEK: Interviewing 101
2 Divide your entire group into pairs. Ask the
people in each pair to read out loud each
list and select one of the people they would
like to interview. Ask the pair to write down
at least five questions they’d like to ask
that person at their interview. Encourage
each team to ask follow-up questions like
“Why?” to provide suprising insight.

3 Each pair will roleplay the interview. The
teammate who is being asked questions
will provide feedback about whether
the questions make sense and suggest
additional questions to ask. The pair will
update the interview questions accordingly.

4 Bring the entire group back together. Ask
where to next? each pair to roleplay their interview again,
time soliciting feedback from the whole group.
1 hr. for a group of 10 Try another Seek activity like ‘We Saw, We Heard’ Then task group members to do their
roles to share what you discovered in your interviews. interviews when they leave the group meet-
Participants, 1 facilitator, ing, encouraging them to take good notes
1 recorder at each interview to share with the rest of
We Saw,
We Heard the group.
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: camera, markers Try moving to Imagine More Ideas to you transition to another activity area.
fold along line

act on something in your interviews that



1 After your group members have interviewed

we saw, we heard at least five people in the community that
they had identified, bring your group to-
gether and give each person five minutes to
Share what group members discovered from their write out the three most interesting answers
they’d received in their interviews.
interviews with community members, then identify
important themes to consider across the interviews.
SEEK: We Saw, We Heard
2 Have each group member act out their
three most interesting answers for the
group, pretending to be the person they’d
interviewed by emulating how they speak
and their body language. If group members
want to, they can also share a one-sentence
description of why each answer was so
interesting to them after each answer.

3 People in the group who aren’t acting out
answers are required to draw, sketch, write,
or make collages that represent the needs
of each person that had been interviewed
by a group member.

4 After every group member shares the
where to next? answers from their interview, ask everyone
time to post what they had recorded on the wall.
45 min. for a group of 10 Try another Seek activity like ‘Pattern Quest’ Then have a discussion about what people
to find similarities across interviews heard: what stood out to them, the similar-
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, ities and differences between what group
multiple recorders Pattern
members had created, and so forth.

materials Quest
optional: camera, markers Try moving to Imagine More Ideas to you transition to another activity area.
fold along line

act on something in your interviews that



1 Ask each person in your group to bring to

pattern quest your meeting the notes they took while
interviewing people in their community,
plus any reflections they had on those notes
Dive deeper into what group members discovered in based on what they’d discovered to date in
their group meetings. Have them post their
their interviews, identifying the deeper reasons behind
notes around a room. Spend about te n
issues people struggle with in your community. minutes reading through everyone’s notes.

SEEK: Pattern Quest
2 Have a discussion about what people think
are the most important topics the entire
team has learned about by going out and
talking to people in their community. One
person should listen and write each of
these topics on separate sheets of paper.
When everyone has shared their perspec-
tives, post these topics sheets on the wall.

3 Divide up your group so there are at least
two people assigned to each topic. Give
each group 15 minutes to locate notes or
generate sketches representing things
from the interview notes that best express
their topic. Hand write those quotes or
stories on the topic sheet.

4 Finish by reviewing the information on each
where to next? topic sheet as a group. Ask the group:
time • s there anything you learned from your
I
1 hr. Move to the Imagine More Ideas activity area interviews that should be added to the
to act on a topic that emerges from this activity. topic sheet?
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator and • s there something you captured here
I
timekeeper Jam
that should be on another topic sheet?

materials Session
large paper, pens, a watch Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: camera, markers you transition to another activity area.
fold along line



aim for quantity to reach quality
Don’t stop until your group has fully exhausted the possibilities. More

imagine
ideas means more opportunities for a great solution to emerge.

build off other people’s ideas
All ideas are welcome and encouraged until the group agrees to critique

more ideas what they’ve generated. Don’t criticize while capturing ideas or try to tear
anyone down.

generate unusual ideas
Bring in random influences to help spark new thinking. Even if some of
Create new solutions for the problems you want to your ideas seem silly or impossible, this is the time when you can let your
imagination run wild.
solve. This activity area will help your group imagine
more ideas and then decide what makes some of them mix and match elements of ideas
Focus on working together as a group to combine everyone’s ideas. Aim
more actionable than others. for the best idea possible, drawing from everyone’s unique knowledge.

everyone owns the idea
Encourage everyone to practice their listening and sharing skills, so they
understand other people’s intent behind their ideas. Leave the ownership
imagine activities
of your ideas at the door.

JAM GROW
IDEA
SESSION AN IDEA
REMIX
suggested sequences
To generate lots of ideas quickly:

Always use the activity
Jam Grow an Cull the
“Cull the Set” before
Session Idea Set
leaving this area.
add your
CULL add your
own activity
THE SET own activity
fold along line


IMAGINE: Jam Session

IMAGINE ACTIVITY 1 IMAGINE ACTIVITY 1

1 Look at all of your group’s ideas that you’ve

jam session captured to date. Identify a topic the team
would like to explore. A good topic will be
directly related to your goal, and will inspire
Create as many ideas as possible with your group, your group to immediately generate ideas.

exploring a range of different solutions and building
on each other’s ideas in a supportive manner.
2 Have the activity facilitator put a piece of
paper on the wall and draw a large arrow
on it. On one end of the arrow, write “Easy.”
On the other end, write “Impossible.”

3 Divide group into two teams. For 20–25
minutes, ask each team to write or sketch
ideas related to the topic on individual
pieces of paper. Create a range of ideas
that are possible, impossible and anything
in between. Be sure to give each idea a title.

4 When both teams are done, share the title
where to next? and a one-sentence description of each
time idea with the group. Have the presenter to
45 min. Try another Imagine activity like ‘Grow an Idea’ pin the idea where it belongs on the Easy
to bring one of these starred concepts into another to Impossible arrow. When everyone has
roles
round of ideation. presented, ask them to put a star next to
the idea they’re most excited about. Ideas
materials
Grow an with the most stars can be pursued.
Idea
or larger and smaller
sheets, pens
When you’re done: Try out some Make Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: camera, markers
Something Real activities to bring your you transition to another activity area.
fold along line

ideas to life!



1 Grab your ideas from an earlier activity.

idea remix Divide your group into teams of two and
give them two random ideas. Have each
team combine them in different ways.
Take ideas your group already has, whether good or (For example: garden hose + cell phone =
remote-controlled sprinkler system!) Title
bad, and combine them in different ways to generate
and sketch each new idea on an individual
new ones. slips of paper.

IMAGINE: Idea Remix
2 After 20 minutes of coming up with new
ideas, ask the teams to post all their ideas
in a place where everyone can see them.
Ask each team to share their two top ideas.

3 Have each team select one of the shared
ideas and create new ones on based on a
random constraint: must be silver-colored,
people must use this idea every hour, and
so forth. Each team should spend twenty
minutes writing or sketching new ideas and
their titles on separate pieces of paper.

4 Each team shares their three favorite ideas
where to next? and put them on the wall. Have everybody
time walk around and look at the last round of
1 hr. Try another Imagine activity like ‘Cull the Set’ ideas. Discuss which ideas are similar and
to identify key ideas the team wants to pursue. why. Put similar ideas next to each other.
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator Talk about which ideas were the most
surprising and why. Ideas that generate the
materials Cull
the Set most conversation should be pursued next!
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers When you’re done: Try out some Make Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
fold along line

ideas to life!



1 Collect all ideas people have made so far.

grow an idea Divide the group into teams of three and
have them select an idea they think is inter-
esting—in other words, an idea that makes
Build off the unique strengths of each other’s ideas to them immediately think of at least two
other related ideas. (Note: This works best
create even better ones.
if every idea you generate is on a separate
sheet or half-sheet of paper.)

IMAGINE: Grow an Idea
2 Have each team look at the selected idea
and answer the following questions:
• hat problem is this idea solving?
W
• ho could use this idea?
W
• here will this idea be used?
W
• hen can this idea be used?
W
• ow can we make this idea better?
H
• hat do you need to make it real?
W

3 Have each team use their answers to the
above questions to imagine more ideas for
at least twenty minutes. Have them write
each new idea and its title on new sheets
of paper.

4 Have each team place their top three ideas
where to next? in a location everyone can see. Let each
time team present their ideas. After everyone
1 hr. Try another Imagine activity like ‘Cull the Set’ to has shared, invite everyone to put a star
identify key ideas the team wants to pursue. next to their top three ideas. The ideas with
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator the most stars are the ideas the team will
move forward.
materials Cull
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”) the Set
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers When you’re done: Try out some Make Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
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ideas to life!


IMAGINE: Cull the Set


1 Collect all the ideas the team has created

cull the set to date and place them on the wall or the
floor. If you haven’t already, ask everyone
put a star next to their top three ideas.
Look across all the ideas your group has created and Then count all the stars each idea has and
write the number next to the title. Gather
decide which ideas should be made real—and for the
the 10 ideas with the most stars together
right reasons. in a space everyone can see.

IMAGINE: Cull the Set
2 Have everyone look at these concepts and
discuss how they are similar or different
from each other. Place similar ideas next to
each other to as you go along. Give these
groups of ideas a name.

3 Discuss what makes each group of ideas
successful. Have the activity facilitator write
the team’s answers on a separate sheet
of paper. See if there are any qualities that
make an idea better than the rest: easier to
make, could be used by many people, and
so forth. These are your team’s ‘success
criteria’ for what makes a good idea.

4 With this list of criteria in mind, go back to
where to next? your starred ideas on the wall and see which
time ones best meet the criteria your team de-
1 hr. for a group of 10 Try another Imagine activity like ‘Jam Session’ to fined. Have the activity faciltator write down
generate more ideas based on what you’ve learned. what people say during the discussion.
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, Keep the criteria and the notes available to
1 recorder the team for reference in the future.
Jam
materials Session
or larger, pens When you’re done: Try out some Make Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: camera, markers Solutions Real activities to bring your ideas you transition to another activity area.
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to life!



express your ideas in many ways
Try all of these with the ideas that you want to share with your group and

make potentially your community: Tell a story. Perform a drama. Sing a song.
Write a story down. Draw your idea. Create a comic strip. Make a collage.
There is rarely one single way to best express your ideas to others.

something real mix and match your materials
Use your imagination with the various materials you use to construct
your ideas.

continue to provide constructive feedback
You don’t know if an idea will work until you try to make When group members share their ideas with you, tell them two things
that you liked about those ideas, and one thing that you felt could be
it real. This activity area will help your group test out
improved. Practice this so it everyone in your group feels comfortable.
ideas in fun ways, such as telling stories or by building
start with lower fidelity
a version of it to evaluate. Experiment with a few of You’ll learn a lot by starting with simple expressions of your ideas, then
these activities and see what your team discovers. making them more and more like the final product.

solicit feedback from outside your group
If your group feels comfortable with it, find time to share your ideas with
make activities friends or community members that would give you valuable feedback.
Be sure to clearly tell them what kind of feedback you’d like from them.

LIGHTS,
STORY- WRITE
CAMERA,
BOARDING A BLURB
ACTION!
101 suggested sequences
To communicate your idea:

Storyboard- It’s Like, Its Write a
ing 101 Not Like Blurb

PROTOTYPE
IT’S LIKE, add your To build your idea:
IT
IT’S NOT LIKE own activity
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Skill Prototype
Share It


MAKE ACTIVITY 1 MAKE ACTIVITY 1

1 Divide your group into teams of one to

storyboarding 101 three people. Ask each group to select an
idea from a previous activity to storyboard.
They should discuss how to tell this idea in
Create a visual story, much like a comic strip, that a story to another person:
• ho are the main characters?
W
explains how an idea would impact people in your
• What specific challenge is being solved?
community over time. • What steps do they go through?

MAKE: Storyboarding 101
2 Post a large piece of paper for each team.
Have each group draw four storyboard
frames (squares) on the paper. They
should write a few words below each frame
to describe what should happen in the
scene they are about to draw or collage
from images in magazines. Follow the
outline included in Step 3.

3 Have the team illustrate each frame:
• First frame: Introduce the characters

• Second frame: Create a scene that shows

the problem where it happens
• hird frame: Show a close-up of one of
T
the characters using your idea
• inal frame: What happens after the
F
character uses it?

4 Have each group share their storyboards
where to next? and pin them up on the wall. Have a
time discussion about what works about each
45 min. for a group of 5 Try another Make activity, like ‘Write a Blurb,’ storyboard and what potentially is missing
to shape the story you just drew into clear, crisp that could expressed in a different way.
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statements you can share.

materials
Write a
Blurb
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers, When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
collage materials, e.g. photos, Try moving to the Plan for Action activity you transition to another activity area.
magazines, colored paper,
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area to plan how and when you could
stickers realize your idea for the community.



1 Split your entire group into teams of three

lights, camera, action! people or less. Have each team select an
idea they want to work with. Multiple teams
can work on the same idea or different
Use characters, scenes, and conversations to tell a ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
can also be done by individuals rather than
meaningful tale about your idea to an audience.
teams, depending on how many people are
in your group.)

MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
2 Give each team ten minutes to decide how
to talk about their idea to other people
in the group through a story. Each team
needs to think about:
• Conflict: What problem you will address
• Character: The people helped by it
• Concept: How the idea should be shared
• Conclusion: Its larger impact on the world

3 Give each team 20 minutes to craft a three-
to five-minute skit that expresses their idea
through a story. Provide them an additional
five minutes after they’ve planned their skit
out to practice it and come up with a title
for it. Encourage each team to include all of
their team members in the skit and use any
relevant props.

4 Ask each team to perform their skit. As one
where to next? team shares their story, the other teams
time should take notes, photograph, sketch,
1 hr. for a group of 5 Try another Make activity like ‘Prototype It’ to build or videotape the performance for future
an idea from scratch. reflection. After the skits, have a discussion
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, about what everyone learned about the
1 recorder Prototype
ideas in the stories and what it would take
It to bring them further to life.
materials
or larger, pens, camera When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
optional: markers Try moving to the Seek New Understand- you transition to another activity area.
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ing activity area to determine how people
in the real world might use these ideas.




write a blurb people or less. Have each team select an
Craft a simple story that explains to other people ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
why your group’s idea is relevant, then practice sharing
it with others. in your group.)

MAKE: Write a Blurb 2 Over 10 minutes, ask each team think
through and discuss:
• hat the idea is
W
• ho the idea is for
W
• ow it will change the community
H
• hy it will help the community
W
• hen it will happen
W
• here it will be used
W

3 Have each team write a one-sentence
description about why the idea is great.
Then each team should spend 20 minutes
writing a paragraph telling the story of
the idea. Experiment with the tone of your
story by pretending to be journalists, the
town preacher, your city’s mayor, and so
forth. Give your story a snappy title.

4 Ask each team to share their story. Then
where to next? have each team post their written story on
time the wall. Gather the entire group around
1 hr. for a group of 5 Try another Make activity like ‘It’s Like, It’s Not Like’ each written story and talk about the ele-
to help other people understand your group’s idea. ments of each story that stood out and the
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, qualities of a strong story. Have one of your
1 recorder It’s Like,
group members write down what worked
It’s Not Like and what could be improved in each story.
materials
optional: camera, markers Try moving to the Build Your Team activity you transition to another activity area.
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area to recruit more people for your group
using these stories.




it’s like, it’s not like people or less. Have each team select an
Share your ideas with other people in a way that ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
relates new concepts to real-world examples.
in your group.)

MAKE: It’s Like, It’s Not Like 2 Each team should select an idea and
writes that idea’s name on the top of a
piece of paper. Draw a vertical line down
the center of the page. Write “It’s Like” on
the left side of the page and “It’s Not Like”
on the right side of the page.

3 Ask the team to call out things that are
similar to their idea. Have one team
member write these things down in the “It’s
Like” column. Then, ask the team to call
out dissimilar ideas for the “It’s Not Like”
column. (Remember: “Not Likes” are just as
powerful as “Likes.” because they provide
concrete examples for your team.)

4 Ask each team to vote on the best “Likes”
where to next? and “Not Likes” and write down the number
time of votes each gets on your sheet of paper.
1 hr. for a group of 10 Try another Make activity like ‘Storyboarding 101’ Get back together into your entire group
to transform your idea into a visual story to share and write your “Likes” and “Not Likes” for
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with others. your ideas on a clean sheet of paper. Post
Participants, 1 facilitator,
1 recorder these up for reference when talking about
Story- your ideas in the future.
materials boarding
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”) 101
optional: camera, markers Try moving to the Imagine More Ideas you transition to another activity area.
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activity area to find more solutions based
on what you know now about your ideas.




prototype it people or less. Have each team select an
Physically make a real-world version of your idea ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
with whatever materials you have around you.
Then test it with people in your community. in your group.)

MAKE: Prototype It
2 Ask each team to write down all the
different types of materials they think
they will need to make their idea real. Have
the team do a quick checklist to see if they
have any of the materials on hand. If you
don’t, are there any things that you can use
as a substitute to get your idea across?
What could you make with just paper?

3 Once you’ve gone through what materials
you can work with, start making parts of
your idea! Try making your idea with differ-
ent kinds of materials or using unexpected
combinations of materials. You’ll figure a lot
out just by experimenting.

4 Have teams swap what they’ve made with
where to next? the other teams. Do the ideas make sense?
time Do they inspire any new ideas or things
1 hr. for a group of 10 Try another Make activity like ‘Storyboarding 101’ that you could make?
to make your idea into a visual story to share with
roles
other people.
.
1 recorder
Story-
materials boarding
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”) 101
optional: camera, markers, Try moving to the Seek New Understand- you transition to another activity area.
any other materials you may
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ing activity area to show your ideas to
have on hand in your space community members and get feedback.



make visible what everyone needs to do
Post everyone’s action items where your group meets. Keep a “group

plan
resume” that shows what people have checked action items off their list,
so everyone knows what progress has been made.

celebrate small wins

for action As part of your group meeting, let your group members know when
you’ve accomplished an important action item that contributes to your
shared goal.

foster a sense of accountability
Become organized about what each group member is In any group, there’s a risk that if someone doesn’t get their action items
done, the group won’t be able to proceed with an activity or reach a goal.
doing to reach your shared goals. This activity area will Encourage everyone to use their own initiative to get things done.
help your group generate concrete action items and
build a support network
understand how those actions will help everyone show Pool information with your group about what people or organizations
progress towards those goals. might be able to help out with action items, in case group members
aren’t able to finish.

be willing to adapt
plan activities Sometimes you can’t predict when things will go right or wrong. Have the
flexibility to change course if you receive new information or something
goes wrong.

STATE OUR SET
DIVIDE AND
PURPOSE THE PACE
CONQUER
suggested sequences
To plan what to do next:
Use the activity “State Our
State Our Divide Set the Purpose” after visiting other
Purpose Conquer Pace activity areas to get your team
heading in the right direction
add your
add your add your To organize your meetings:
own activity
own activity own activity
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Set the
Pace


PLAN: Set an Agenda

PLAN ACTIVITY 1 PLAN ACTIVITY 1

1 Post one sheet of paper on the wall

setting an agenda and have everybody gather around it.
At the top of the sheet of paper, write the
following question: “What challenges are
Identify the most pressing challenges your team we trying to solve right now so we can
accomplish our overall goal?” Have the
needs to tackle, then agree on the steps you should
group members write answers to this
take to address them. question underneath it on sticky notes.

PLAN: Set an Agenda 2 Take each Post-It note and put it in the
center of a new sheet of paper. Answer the
following questions for that challenge:
• Why is this challenge important to solve?
• Who needs to be involved to solve it?
• When do we want to resolve it?
• What hurdles stand in our way?
• How can we remove those hurdles?

3 Take a step back and look at everyone’s
answers as a group. Ask these questions:
• hich challenges do you need to address
W
most urgently?
• hat patterns or themes are visible
W
across all of these challenges?
• o you see ways to resolve multiple
D
challenges with similar efforts?

4 From your group discussion, write down
where to next? the action items your team should take
time on next to address the challenges you’ve
40 min. Try another Plan activity like ‘Divide Conquer’ to identified as most urgent.
split up some of these tasks up between people.
roles
Participants, 1 recorder

materials Divide
Conquer
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers, When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
Post-Its Try moving to Seek New Understanding you transition to another activity area.
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activities to determine who to talk to next,
or Imagine More Ideas to come up with
more solutions.



1 Gather your group around a sheet of

divide and conquer paper. Ask everyone to write on the sheet
every activity they’re doing right now to
help the group reach their shared goal.
Split your group into smaller teams that can plan and Have the group look at all the activities
and identify which are similar and can be
execute specific action items.
grouped together. Give these similar tasks
a name. Keep it simple, like ‘recruiting.’

PLAN: Divide and Conquer
2 Have someone from your team write these
task names on separate sheets of paper.
These will be different committees to take
care of a specific responsibilities for your
group. Ask people to write their initials
with the name of the committee they
want to join.

3 Split your group into their specific com-
mittees. Have them go to different parts of
the room and meet with their committee.
Ask the committee members to write
down the responsibilities, challenges and
goals they should tackle. If there is only
one person in a committee, they should
join another group.

4 Have each committee write down specific
where to next? tasks to help them reach their group’s
time goals. Prioritize the activity list as a com-
1 hr. Try another Plan activity like ‘Set the Pace’ to mittee, taking at least 15 minutes to write
establish your future meeting schedules. action items based on their top five to ten
roles
. priority tasks. Have team members initial
multiple recorders Set the which action items they’ll take on. Then
Pace have each team post and share their plan.
materials
optional: camera, markers Try moving to Seek New Understanding you transition to another activity area.
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more solutions.



1 When your group gets together, discuss

set the timeline how quickly your team wants to accomplish
their goal. Then, have your group split
into committees. They can be the same
Create a schedule for your team to keep track of what committees as the ones created for the
activity ‘Divide and Conquer.’ If you don’t
needs to get done—and what you’ve accomplished.
have enough people for committees, each
person can do this individually.

PLAN: Set the Timeline
2 In your committees, write down on a sheet
of paper the final milestones your need
to accomplish to achieve your group’s goal.
Sketch out a calendar of days between
today and the final milestone date.
Looking at your final milestones, write
out the interim milestones you’ll need to
achieve to get to that final milestone.

3 Get back together with your full group.
Have one person create or use a large
calendar to consolidate all of the dates
from all of your committees. Ask each
committee to share their milestones with
the group, and have one person write down
the major and interim milestones on your
shared calendar.

4 As a group, discuss if there are conflicts or
where to next? issues due to the placement of milestone
time dates. Adjust the milestone dates if there
45 min. at a minimum Try another Plan activity like ‘Keeping the Momen- are dependencies that you see on what
tum’ to help your team track their progress. action items your group members are
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator, taking on.
multiple recorders Keeping the
Momentum
materials
Printer paper, large sheet of
paper, markers, pens When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
Try moving to Seek New Understanding you transition to another activity area.
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more solutions.



1 With the full group together, decide who

keeping the momentum will be responsible out of the group for:
• pdating your schedule as the group
U
accomplishes milestones (or doesn’t)
Motivate everyone on your team to keep moving • Tracking decisions made and next steps
• etermining when and where the group
D
forward at a productive rate—and communicating
will check in. Ideally, this is a stable
about who’s doing what. location and recurring date and time.

PLAN: Keeping Momentum
2 At the beginning of each meeting, it’s
important to start with a lively update
regarding what group members have done.
This should be a free-form conversation,
where each group member shares what
they’ve accomplished and what roadblocks
might still be standing in their way.

3 Answer the following questions together:
• hat has the team accomplished since
W
their last meeting?
•
What challenges have emerged that the
group didn’t expect?
• ho can best resolve those issues?
W
• How will they best be resolved?

4 Once the team has answered these
where to next? questions, look at your group calendar
time (created in the ‘Set the Timeline’
45 min. at a minimum This is a great time to go to the activity area Clarify activity) and determine if milestones or
Your Goals and do the activity ‘Check Your Goal.’ dates need to be adjusted based on the
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Participants, 1 facilitator, challenges and proposed solutions.
multiple recorders Check Your
Goal
materials
Printer paper, large sheet
of paper, markers, pens When you’re done in this activity area: Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
Try moving to Seek New Understanding you transition to another activity area.
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more solutions.


about this toolkit what inspired
This toolkit is part of frog’s commitment to invest in social impact. While
intended for use by leaders in local communities, it draws from both our social
this toolkit?
innovation work and our expertise in encouraging grassroots innovation within The first seeds for this Toolkit were planted while working on a research project
startups and large-scale organizations. with the Girl Effect. As part of that project, we paired skills development with
design research, facilitating activities with adolescent girls living in extreme
It can be used as an accelerant for group problem solving, whether by local poverty. The activities were intended to encourage girls to explore their world
community groups, schools, nonprofits, corporations, and so forth. and collaborate in groups to devise solutions for local problems that they’d
discovered.

how to build on
this toolkit
This toolkit is intended to be shareable via a Creative Commons Attribu-
tion-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA License. This license lets
others build upon this toolkit non-commercially, as long as they credit frog
and license their new creations under the identical terms. If you’re interested
in gaining access to this toolkit for localization purposes, please contact us
at cat@frogdesign.com.

During this work, the girls told us they wanted to share these activities with
their families, friends, and the broader community. After the project, we
stepped back and realized that if these types of activities could be shared
with a more general audience, everyone could benefit.

A group of frogs came together and looked across our existing problem-solving
practices, including how frogs collaborate in groups when working on client
projects. We distilled what we learned into this toolkit.
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share this toolkit contributors
with others
DOWNLOAD A VERSION OF IT FOR FREE AT: Robert Fabricant

Jacob Gardner
http://www.frogdesign.com/cat
Denise Gershbein

Kyle Hoyt

share your story Kate Quigley

Erin Sanders
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOUR GROUPS HAVE David Sherwin
BEEN USING THE COLLECTIVE ACTION TOOLKIT.
Rayna Wiles
cat@frogdesign.com


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Copyright 2012 frog

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